Kangaroo Island Bushfire Response

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:26): My question is again to the Premier. Can the Premier explain to the house why it took more than 50 days for the South Australian government to announce it would help Kangaroo Island bushfire victims clear the wreckage of their homes after, up until last week, telling them they would have to pay for the clean-up themselves?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (14:26): I thank the member for Mawson for his question. As I said in my earlier answer, we made it a priority to deal with hazardous waste on the sites—asbestos, CCA posts and chemical spills—getting in and securing those, as we felt that is what the community would want us to give them certainty about in the first instance, and then moving forward with a negotiated agreement with the federal government as to a fifty-fifty cost-sharing arrangement for the broader clean-up. That's what we were working through.

I believe that most people on the ground, while suffering traumatic and difficult times, understand that this has been a complex matter. We have had to work through it methodically and carefully, deal with hazardous waste first and then move on with the broader clean-up.