Fire fans fears of longer-term impacts on Fraser Island

It was November 25. Government agencies involved in the response had taken decisive action to bar any new arrivals on the world’s largest sand island, about 250 kilometres north of Brisbane, more than six weeks after what is alleged to have been an illegal and poorly extinguished camp fire first began growing into three blazes which have now scorched about 82,000 hectares.

That delay has sparked calls for an independent inquiry by the state LNP Opposition, businesses and residents after last summer’s devastating blazes – met by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ordering of a high-level review this week – and fanned fears about a further blow to regional tourism.

However, underpinning this is the threat posed to the island’s…