The terrible bushfires ravaging Australia have sparked a political debate about where to lay blame. Unsurprisingly, right-wing critics and others in power have sought a scapegoat. They've tried to blame the fires on the Greens, for apparently not supporting hazard reduction burning.

While it has predominantly been the Labor and Liberal parties who have had responsibility for fuel load management across Australia, there has been one Australian example where the Greens held the relevant ministerial portfolio for land management. That minister was me.

ACT’s Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury at his South Coast property. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

In the ACT, the Labor and Greens parties have had a power-sharing arrangement since 2012, meaning the Greens have held various ministerial portfolios. Between 2012 and 2016, I was the ACT minister for territory and municipal services and was responsible for, among other things, the agency that managed our national park and nature conservation parks, including managing fuel loads across the ACT landscape.

This was a practical demonstration of how the Greens approach bushfire risk. Each year, with the expert advice of the agency, we developed and implemented comprehensive fire-related operational works plans. For example, in 2013-14 I oversaw a significant program of burning, slashing and grazing across 20,000 hectares of land in the ACT to help manage the increasing risk of fires.