Ministerial Statement

Pinery Bushfires

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:11): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The catastrophic Pinery bushfire last week caused the dreadful loss of two lives and massive destruction in the Mid North of our state. Our deepest condolences are with the families affected and our thoughts are with the communities devastated by the fire.

The outstanding efforts of our emergency services and interstate support from the Victorian Country Fire Authority cannot be overstated—the CFS, the police, the MFS and the SES, the South Australian Ambulance Service, indeed, a wide range of those agency community groups from far and wide were involved. On behalf of the state and the parliament, I would like to extend to all our sincere gratitude.

The state government has established the South Australian Pinery Fire Appeal to receive public donations, and I can announce today that the state has committed $3 million to support the recovery effort, featuring a $1 million contribution to the Pinery Fire Appeal. This $1 million and, indeed, all money donated to the Pinery Fire Appeal will go directly to support affected families on the fireground.

The fire ignited at 12.05pm and was fanned by very strong winds and low humidity. Fire danger conditions had become catastrophic that morning after a total fire ban due to extreme conditions was declared the previous evening. The speed of the fire and extremely low visibility on the ground made confronting the fire incredibly difficult. In all, current assessments indicate a loss of 87 homes, 388 sheds and outbuildings, 98 vehicles, 93 pieces of farm machinery and a shocking number of livestock, including 53,600 poultry, 17,000 sheep, 500 pigs, 87 cattle, 19 horses and three Alpaca.

During the incident, emergency relief centres were established in Gawler, Balaklava and Clare with in the order of $200,000 worth of emergency grants provided. An outreach service is now in place visiting the homes of those affected to better support their recovery. Indeed, we have now moved from the response phase of the disaster to the recovery phase.

It is clear that a tremendous amount of time and effort will be needed to rebuild these communities notwithstanding the incredible resilience and strength they are now showing. The economic impact of the fire and the flow-on effects to these local communities are of great concern, and there is much to be done to support the region through this difficult time.

On Thursday, I appointed Vince Monterola, Member of the Order of Australia and Australian Fire Service Medal, as a recovery coordinator. Vince is a former CFS chief officer and was a key person for the recovery effort for the 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfires as chair of the West Coast Recovery Committee. I am pleased to have Mr Monterola involved in this critical role and look forward to working with him and the Minister for Communities.

On Friday, following the fire being declared as contained, our emergency services provided a tour of the fireground for me and state and federal elected members. Witnessing the devastation of blackened plains littered with burnt-out vehicles firsthand as the scent of smoke and ash still lingered in the air served as a stark reminder of the destructive force of bushfire and the risk we face through the season ahead. I hope that this is the only bushfire site I will survey this summer, but I fear there may be worse to come.

What is all the more sobering is that this disaster occurred in spring. With today the first day of summer, it is frightening that we have at least five months of fire danger season ahead in several districts where our fields and forests will become only dryer and the weather and winds will become hotter and harsher.

I fear that there will be another incident of this scale through the coming season, and I implore all South Australians in bushfire risk areas to clear their properties as appropriate and review and update their bushfire action plans. The potential for a disaster like this had been foreseen, and fire danger seasons across the state have been brought forward two weeks in many regions, including the Mid North. The message from the authorities is clear: the safest action is to leave and to leave early.

We thank our firefighters and all involved in the emergency response effort, and I commend those already involved in the recovery effort, as well as those who will become involved as our response continues. The South Australian community has once again come together to help those in their hour of need. Our work to recover will continue over the coming months and years.