A friend recently returned from volunteer work in NT Aboriginal lands with an interesting story to tell. In NT, which incidentally has the largest proportion of Aboriginal land as a percentage of total State/Territory lands, cultural burns aim to burn a quarter of their land p.a. leaving a mosaic pattern of areas of varying fuel load. NT is one of the most lightning struck places on the planet. Fires started by dry lightning will only run as far as the most recently burned area, and when the wind eases overnight, they die out due to a lack of fuel and a lack of wind impetus. NT Aboriginal lands don't have volunteer fire brigades. They don't need them.
There is also the testimony of the first Europeans to explore inland southeast Australia, who described open woodland with fresh green fodder beneath and blackened tree trunks just about everywhere, as evidence of frequent low intensity cultural mosaic burning.They also described nomadic indigenous Australians burning wherever they wandered for firestick farming and as an indication of their location to other Aboriginal bands. Even Watkin Tench recorded in his diary of the almost constant smoke from fires observed as the First Fleet proceeded up the east coast to Botany Bay. That was in January 1788. We'll never know if those fires were from dry lightning or wandering Aboriginal bands or both or in what proportion. But in combination with the eyewitness testimony of Aboriginal fire practices by early Europeans, I question the modern idea that burning in summer is a flat-out no-no. What does the science and Aboriginal tradition have to say? Not sure of the science but our local Dharawal elder reckons that cool, low intensity fires clear the fuel loads and undergrowth of woody weeds, fertilise the land with their ash, promote the growth of fodder for native grazing animals, and the heat and smoke actually promotes rain and heavier dew, which suppresses the fires at night.
Unfortunately with the Greens hysteria over climate change and air pollution is such that widespread burning would never be tolerated anywhere on the east coast. The Greens have made it difficult to do any sort of control burn and the type of burning you are talking about will lead to widespread air pollution problems. You then have unintended consequence of the air pollution. You would have people suing the government for health concerns, loss of income, deaths, transport related delays etc etc etc
There was a case in the NT a long time ago where the smoke was so bad that the Airmed King Air couldn't land due to poor visibility which resulted in the patient's death. Now imagine the hysteria if that happened in Sydney or Melbourne.
Personally I agree with you, control burning is the way to go unfortunately though politics and the short sighted Australian Public won't tolerate it. You might get away with it next year, but in about 5 years time all the bush will have grown back, noone will remember this year's bush fires, local members will get hounded about air pollution and problem will start again.