Country Fire Service

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (15:24): My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Can the minister please update the house on the plans for a new CFS station at Lenswood? With your leave, and that of the house, I will further explain.

Leave granted.

Mr CREGAN: I am advised that the station's amenities and parking are inadequate. There are also problems with water ingress into the building, and the station is located on a dangerous corner. Efforts to replace old appliances are impeded because new modern appliances don't fit in the outdated station buildings. I wrote correspondence in relation to this issue on 2 October and 16 October 2020 and received an acknowledgment on 17 November 2020, but to date this issue has not been resolved.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (15:25): I thank the member for Kavel for the question. Obviously, we are proud to be spending record amounts of money in terms of our emergency services, making sure that our state is more bushfire resilient for the next bushfire season.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: We have a very proud record when it comes to making sure that our state is as bushfire resilient as possible. You would be well aware that we are the first jurisdiction in all of Australia to commission our first and only independent recent review into the bushfire season of 2019-20. That was held by Mr Mick Keelty. A number of recommendations were delivered. All the immediate action items have been issued and delivered upon, and amongst those promises made that we have delivered are over 25 new CFS trucks right across the board, better safety equipment—things like thermal imaging cameras in every single group.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: The Adelaide Hills are a very, very important part of the world and after recent bushfire events I did take the time to go and visit the member for Kavel's electorate as well as your own, sir, and I have been blown away by the hard work and the dedication of volunteers in the Adelaide Hills.

In terms of that particular CFS brigade, I know that the CFS are certainly undertaking a body of work to determine a future site that delivers value for money, but of course we certainly acknowledge and appreciate that the Labor Party didn't spend what they should have spent when they were in government in regard to emergency services.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Chaffey will cease interjecting. The member for West Torrens rises on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 98: debate. The minister is now debating the answer rather than answering the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. The question concerned certainly matters of context. Leave was granted to introduce facts that provided context and a degree of history. I do direct the minister to the question. The minister has the call.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: Thank you, sir. Talking broadly about investment in our CFS, for example, it goes without saying that commission after commission made recommendations around automatic vehicle locations. The facts are that the former government didn't spend—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader!

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: —a cent on that. Lenswood and other areas of the Adelaide Hills would have benefited from that investment, but former governments didn't spend a cent on it. What I will say is that we do acknowledge and appreciate—

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat. The leader rises on a point of order.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Point of order: debate, sir. I think the Speaker has already made a ruling upholding a former point of order. This is clearly debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right! It's true to say I have just upheld a point of order in relation to debate. The question was quite specific in its terms. As I have indicated, it called for and referred to matters of context to a degree. I bring the minister to the substance of the question. The minister has the call.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: Thank you, sir. I respect your ruling. We do acknowledge and appreciate the need for a new station in the Lenswood area for the Lenswood brigade. I know that the CFS is working hard to ensure that that brigade and also that community continue to have the facilities, tools and resources that they need to keep their community safe during the upcoming bushfire season. I do acknowledge and appreciate all the volunteers in the Lenswood brigade, and I'm certainly happy to raise this topic again when I next meet with the CFS chief.