Rural Fires Act 1997 (NSW)

Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025

124C: Ins 2002 No 67, Sch 4 [22].

An Act to establish the NSW Rural Fire Service and define its functions; to make provision for the prevention, mitigation and suppression of rural fires; to repeal the Bush Fires Act 1949; to amend certain other Acts; and for other purposes.

This Part contains provisions that are helpful in understanding the Act as a whole, as well as some machinery provisions. It also provides for the constitution of all those parts of the State that are not within fire districts (within the meaning of the Fire and Rescue NSW Act 1989) as rural fire districts.

pt 1, note: Am 2018 No 59, Sch 5.1.

This Act is the Rural Fires Act 1997.

This Act commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation.

The objects of this Act are to provide—

• (a)

  for the prevention, mitigation and suppression of bush and other fires in local government areas (or parts of areas) and other parts of the State constituted as rural fire districts, and

• (b)

  for the co-ordination of bush fire fighting and bush fire prevention throughout the State, and

• (c)

  for the protection of persons from injury or death, and property from damage, arising from fires, and

• (c1)

  for the protection of infrastructure and environmental, economic, cultural, agricultural and community assets from damage arising from fires, and

• (d)

  for the protection of the environment by requiring certain activities referred to in paragraphs (a)–(c1) to be carried out having regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development described in section 6 (2) of the Protection of the Environment Administration Act 1991.

s 3: Am 2013 No 108, Sch 1 [1] [2].

Some expressions defined in the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act 1989 that are used in this Act are—