THE state government says it has delayed its response to the Coonabarabran bushfire inquiry to avoid interfering with the conjunctive coronial investigation.
The Wambelong Fire inquiry, handed down in February, made 29 recommendations for more effective bushfire management in the wake of the "Black Sunday" blaze that scorched 54,000ha and 53 homes in and around the Warrumbungle National Park during January 2013.
The government was due to respond to the committee's recommendations last Thursday August 20, but has put its correspondence on hold so the findings of the coronial process "are not preempted in any way".
In a letter to the Clerk of the Parliament on Tuesday morning, Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said the government will provide an interim response by Monday September 14.
"The response will outline the ongoing work of the government and its agencies since the Wambelong Fire to strengthen our framework to manage the risk of bushfires," the letter read.
The coronial inquiry has been criticised for apparent "slow progress", but deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon said that "absurd" resourcing issues were behind the delays.
