BUSHFIRE PREVENTION

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:16): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. Does the minister accept that the failure to reduce the fuel load in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula has increased the risk to homes and families both today and during the remainder of the fire season? Only 88 of the 430 hectares of DEH property scheduled to be burned in the Hills and Fleurieu region in autumn 2009 has been burned.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management) (15:17): I am delighted to answer this question, because it was not until this government came into office that there was substantial fuel reduction burning in relation to the Adelaide Hills.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, I have looked at the numbers—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and the efforts in the Adelaide Hills were paltry before this government came into office. All those opposite who represent rural seats stand condemned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Environment and Conservation.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Of course, the responsibility for ensuring that someone's property—or, indeed, the broader region—is bushfire ready belongs to the owner of the land; that is where the primary responsibility lies. In circumstances where the state government is a holder of land it is crucial that it accept that responsibility. The other responsibilities this government has accepted is to make sure that the regulatory regime is such that those things can occur in a manner which is unimpeded, so that people who do want to take responsibility for ensuring their fuel load is reduced, to make sure their properties are safe, can do so without any unnecessary burden.

The changes we have seen relate particularly to properties used for primary production. The CFS will be able to provide written approval for fuel breaks up to 20 metres. Alternatively, fuel breaks may be authorised through a region's bushfire prevention plan. Previously, the district bushfire prevention committee could provide approval for up to 15 metres. Clearance beyond 20 metres and on other land types will be managed under a fuel reduction exemption rather than a fuel break exemption. The current exemptions, which enable clearance without approval for fuel breaks up to five metres along existing fence lines and up to 7.5 metres along boundary lines in specified Mallee regions, remain unchanged.

We also have a new exemption in relation to fire access tracks. The CFS will be able to provide written approval for a fire access track. The size and features and turning bays of tracks, will vary according to the recognised standards which detail specific requirements for minor, standard and major fire trucks. Just to remind people, the current exemption that enables clearance without approval for a vehicle access track of up to five metres remains unchanged, noting that the purpose of such tracks is for property movements not directly related to fire control.

In relation to cold burns, as the honourable member asked, the figures in relation to prescribed burning do not reflect well on those opposite. As to the burns that have been completed for 2007-08, 40 DEH prescribed burns were undertaken across the state (approximately 2,688 hectares); in 2008-09, 49 burns (totalling 6,941 hectares); and in 2009-10, 77 prescribed burns are planned across the state (totalling approximately 15,200 hectares).

Of course, we also know that we need to find ways of reorganising the way we carry out prescribed burns so that we can maximise the opportunities we have. That is why we have introduced a new mechanism whereby agencies work together. The various state government agencies, including SA Water, Forestry SA and the Department for Environment and Heritage, are working together to ensure the prescribed burning program is delivered.

What we do know, though, is that the fuel reduction burns that have been undertaken by us in recent years are a dramatic increase in the amount of resources that were applied when those opposite were last in office. One has to judge people by what they do, not by what they say. Those opposite merely talk about the question of concern about bushfire safety. I have received a number of letters from those opposite but, when they were last in office and had an opportunity to do something about it, they did not act. That is the pattern of those opposite. If people have even given a thought about casting a vote in favour of those opposite, they should reflect upon what they saw when they were last in government: an inability to act. They are very big on talk, very little action. This state government takes bushfire safety seriously, and we have taken an important number of steps to ensure that the people of the Adelaide Hills and the broader South Australian community are protected.