Historically, playing the blame game is one of the most predictable responses of all to Australian bushfires. It happens after every major event. Usually a government agency of some sort or a specific group of people is blamed for either what it did or didn't do.
Clearly the psychology of blame is operative here. Much of the attack is an expression of the usual need to find scapegoats and deal with a sense of loss. In the Black Friday fires of 1939 the Forestry Commission and the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works were accused of not being proactive in clearing forest litter and scrub. Nowadays 'extreme Greens' or 'city-based academics' of some sort are more likely to be blamed.
After the most extensive and long-lasting series of fires in the European history of Australia in 2002–2003, there were many attacks on those considered responsible for not carrying out preventative or hazard reduction burning. This became a touchstone that focused a range of other issues simmering away in rural communities.
How governments respond to this is important. In 2003 the governments of Victoria and the ACT initially offered help, but once their bureaucrats got hold of the process people had to go through complex procedures in order to get minimal assistance. The governments failed to deal with the emotional response of people who had lost everything.
In New South Wales the then Premier, Bob Carr, an old hand with a lot of experience, took a different approach. Aid was promised and delivered without a great deal of red tape; Carr made sure the Premier's Department dealt with everything. This prevented anal-retentive public servants from erecting an obstacle course for victims. I know, because I received some aid from NSW after a bush block and old house I owned were reduced to rubble.
Carr also funded a project that allowed people to tell stories of their experiences of the fires. This acknowledged publicly that people had been through terrible times. The project was launched at a social meeting at the National Parks headquarters in Jindabyne. It brought together locals and National Parks staff, who are often in conflict over land management policies. This built relationships rather than dividing people.
A House of Representatives Select Committee, chaired by the then federal member for Eden-Monaro, Garry Nairn, is a good example of what not to do. It was set up,