E-MERGENCY CONNECT

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Finance. What is the government doing to improve collaboration and communication for emergency services volunteers?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:47): I am answering this in my capacity as Minister for Emergency Services, and I thank the member for Colton for the question. On behalf of the government, indeed, all members in this place, I put on record our sincere appreciation of the Country Fire Service volunteers who acted so bravely and efficiently in quelling the Cherryville fire. CFS volunteers from surrounding areas were assisted by brigades from across the state, including Port Elliot, Victor Harbor, Aldinga, Strathalbyn, Mannum, Murray Bridge, Nuriootpa, One Tree Hill, Roseworthy, Peterborough, Burra, Crystal Brook, Bute, Kadina and Port Victoria. This is not the complete list but a snapshot of the areas that provided assistance.

It was a timely reminder of how much we rely on volunteers and why we should give them every possible support. To answer the member's question, volunteers from the CFS and State Emergency Service can now share their experiences and knowledge online, as well as take part in online training courses following the launch of the new web portal for emergency services volunteers. The E-mergency Connect volunteer portal provides CFS and SES volunteers with new tools to communicate, collaborate and undertake training.

The E-mergency Connect portal allows all CFS and SES volunteers to log in with a single set of login details and use centralised email, calendars and web conferencing at any time and place that suit them. By using the Microsoft Office 365 application, volunteers will be able to create, read and edit relevant office documents from almost any internet connection, hence improving administrative systems.

New online training is also being developed, which contains several new courses, including safety and wellbeing for existing volunteers and induction for new volunteers. This will reduce the time to complete induction and reaccreditation. Training can be done by volunteers at their own convenience—at home, work, the station, brigade or unit. The state government has provided $5.6 million in funding for E-mergency Connect and the federal government has provided $2.5 million.

As part of the investment, more than 360 CFS and SES sites have received new computers or laptops, security and virus protection software, network printers and managed broadband internet access. CFS and SES volunteers now have access to free IT helpdesk support between 8am and 9pm on weekdays to assist in using the volunteer portal. The launch of the volunteer portal coincides with National Volunteer Week, which runs to 19 May. I would like to thank—and I think I express the sentiment of the entire house—all of our emergency services volunteers for the sacrifices they make to protect life and property and to keep our community safe.