Army personnel should be called in to help states and territories with land clearing and hazard reduction before the bushfire season, Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said.
Mr Barr floated the idea after Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week foreshadowed a new approach to land management in the wake of the national bushfire crisis.
Mr Morrison has suggested establishing new national standards for meeting hazard reduction targets, along with a review of land-clearing laws and native vegetation rules.
He also indicated the federal government was considering a system for "naming and shaming" states and territories which didn't meet their targets, as he declared that hazard reduction was just as important as emissions reduction in tackling the threat of bushfires.
The Canberra Times this week reported the ACT missed its target for prescribed burning by 25 per cent in the past financial year.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Barr said the punitive approach flagged by the prime minister was not the "best and most constructive path to pursue".
He said the federal government should consider deploying the army to help states and territories prepare for bushfires.
Mr Barr said climate change was shrinking the window of opportunity to safely complete burns, meaning more "manual fuel reduction" would have to be undertaken.
"We would acknowledge the benefit of having the army's involvement in helping with some of the land clearing and fuel reduction activities," he said.
"That would be beneficial during the off season."
Opposition emergency services spokeswoman Guilia Jones supported an increase in resources for hazard-reduction work, but said the military wasn't necessarily the best option.
"It doesn't have to be a national force, it could be a state-by-state force."
