Emergency Services

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services. Can the minister update the house on the government's commitment to emergency services in Mount Barker?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:59): I thank the member for the question, and what an important question it is. I know the member for Kavel has been working very hard on this in his local region. In fact, he has calluses on his knuckles because he is knocking on my door that often, coming to see me about making things happen in his local community. In particular, he is persistently knocking my door down—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —to get things happening in the Mount Barker region. Last week, I had the pleasure—

The SPEAKER: Has the member for Enfield lost his page?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: No, he's asleep, Mr Speaker. He's asleep.

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The boofheads in the back row are asleep. It's a shame, Mr Speaker. They need to listen to this.

The SPEAKER: Please get on with it.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They need to listen to this.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Yes, sorry. I withdraw that comment.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Point of order: it is inappropriate to reflect on a member—

The SPEAKER: Yes, I withdraw that comment.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —and to suggest that he was asleep, particularly when I was looking up the word 'quadruped' to help me ascertain what he was saying about the member for Kavel.

The SPEAKER: Will the minister withdraw the comment about sleep? I will withdraw the comment about the bookmark.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Yes, I will withdraw the comment, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Let's get on with important things, like the great work the member for Kavel is doing. In fact, I was up in his local area visiting the Mount Barker CFS with the member for Kavel last week. We went to the local brigade where we caught up with some members, including CFS Assistant Chief Officer, Daniel Austin, and senior MFS firefighters, including MFS Acting Chief Officer—

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Reynell is warned for a second and final time, as she was yesterday.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —Paul Fletcher, and MFS Assistant Chief Officer in charge of Regional Operations, Phil Kilsby, to discuss the Marshall government's plan to boost support for emergency services in the Mount Barker community. You should have seen the people come to laud the member for Kavel. Everywhere we went through the street, they were stopping and patting him on the back, applauding the great work he had been doing, and this is a great example. I am particularly pleased—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —to inform the house—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left and right!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —that we were in Mount Barker to highlight the establishment of the new—

Mr Cowdrey interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton is called to order.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —MFS presence in the town. I know those on the other side don't care about the region of Mount Barker, but the member for Kavel certainly does. He is passionate about his community. With a population in the region of around 35,000, and the number continuing to grow, this much-needed additional emergency services support will be reassuring to those who live and work in the local area.

As set out in the budget, the MFS will receive $3.9 million over three years to deliver a retained MFS service in the Mount Barker district. The funding will commence from July next year and the preparation work and training has already started. More than 20 MFS retained firefighters will be recruited and placed on call in the region to respond to emergencies when needed. This additional emergency services capability will provide great support for the CFS brigades in the region, which service the Mount Barker, Littlehampton, Nairne, Oakbank, Balhannah, Woodside and Hahndorf communities.

What a great job those local CFS brigades do too. They have outstanding volunteers and we are looking to always grow the volunteers within the CFS. These towns are growing with communities where the risk of structural fires increase with expansion and further urbanisation within Mount Gambier, but the MFS presence will not diminish the importance—

Mr Picton: Mount Gambier?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I should have said Mount Barker; I apologise. The MFS presence will not diminish the importance of the CFS—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —where the greatest threat to our growing Hills towns remains bushfire. I have mentioned the volunteers already that do the outstanding job there. This initiative will provide a two-pronged attack to guard against fire and continue to grow the CFS presence and the new MFS presence to assist with the built-up residential, commercial and industrial areas.

While those on the other side laugh, I want to truly commend the member for Kavel for the hard work he does and the advocacy he does for his community. I know that all of us on this side have him in our offices all the time, championing for the people of his region. He really is an outstanding local member, as there are so many on this side of the house, that tirelessly—tirelessly—work for their community, have campaigned incredibly hard and are delivering great results with a Marshall Liberal government.

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles has been patiently waiting.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: Waiting for 186 days.

Mr HUGHES: Well, your budget was a starting gun.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education is called to order.

Mr HUGHES: It is an endurance event after all.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education is called to order. The member for Giles has the call.