There had been little action on most of the recommendations of Stretton 's 1939 report because it had stalled in the Victorian Parliament . But after a public outcry , Premier Albert Dunstan and Forests Minister Albert Lind decided to ask Judge Stretton to chair a second Royal Commission , this time examining the deadly Yallourn fires in 1944 . While there had been other major bushfires during the summer of 1943-44 the Yallourn fire had spread into the nearby opencut coalmine and power station which had threatened Melbourne 's electricity supplies . Stretton 's new report once again highlighted a lack of cohesive firefighting ability outside the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade area which led directly to the creation of the Country Fire Authority ( CFA ) in December 1944
Yallourn fires
1943–44 Australian bushfire season
Leonard Edward Bishop Stretton