Ministerial Statement

Echunga Dam

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS (Cheltenham—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:22): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: I wish to provide the house with the most up-to-date information in relation to the emergency currently facing the Echunga community. Last night, the South Australian State Emergency Service was made aware of a privately owned dam, less than 500 metres upstream of Echunga, which was showing signs of structural failure to the dam wall. The SES has expertly managed this operation through the night and today in relation to the structural integrity of the dam wall, reducing the water level of the dam and managing the risk to the community, including through evacuations.

Engineers and emergency services remain on site and residents have been evacuated. The Hills Fleurieu zone emergency support team is activated and working with police from Mount Barker Police Station. The Country Fire Service are providing further support to the community through the provision of sandbags, and the Australian Defence Force are on site today to further bolster available resources.

Today, I have been in close contact with the state members for Kavel, Heysen and Hammond as well as the federal member for Mayo and Minister Murray Watt to provide them with contemporary information in relation to this event. I am committed to ensuring the best information continues to be available to members and to their communities. This is an unfolding situation and operational incident and I urge everyone to rely on trusted information and alerts from the SES and SAPOL.

I am advised this will be a continually managed situation across the next 24 to 48 hours and that emergency warnings will be updated contemporaneously with changing threat levels. It is important to remain vigilant and monitor emergency warnings, and if you are at risk leave the area and relocate to a safe place, such as the Echunga Football Club.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the emergency services, including the SES, CFS and SAPOL for their professionalism and their cross-agency support in managing the situation and offer my best to the community of Echunga.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister. It is a very distressing situation developing in the Hills. I have received a communication from the member for Mayo, who has asked me to inform ministers that the commonwealth government has communicated to her that if circumstances develop the commonwealth stands ready to assist.