**As Australians brace for the upcoming bushfire season, parts of the country remain “dangerously unprepared” for the threat, opposition politicians say.**Fewer than half the bushfire stations being upgraded in Victoria state will be ready ahead of the fire season, opposition spokesman Peter Ryan said.
The Victorian government is spending $28.9 (£16.6) million on upgrades to 43 centres, but only 16 will be ready.
Officials are warning that this season’s fires could be “catastrophic”.
“The real worry in this is that there will be parts of Victoria which are dangerously underprepared to be able to contend with the threat of this season,” Mr Ryan said.
“The threat is dire and it may well be that we are facing a risk that is even greater than that that unfolded in February this year.”
The Western Australia government has also introduced tough new laws that could see arsonists jailed for life if convicted.
The state government’s legislation would increase the maximum penalty for offenders who wilfully destroyed or damaged property by fire from 14 years in jail to life imprisonment.
Nervous wait
The bushfire season officially starts on October 28 and authorities are warning that it could potentially rival the tragic Black Saturday fires from February 2009 that claimed more than 170 lives and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.
The fires were the worst on record in the country.
As preparations continued across the country, fire officials in New South Wales showed concern that after two somewhat “damp” seasons in the state, this year’s fires could be much worse.
“The forecast isn’t great and this season definitely has the potential to be worse than the last two years,” NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Ben Shepherd told the BBC.
“The state is 95% drought declared and this does bode for a potentially dangerous fire season.”