Naracoorte Fire

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:24): My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Can the minister give an update on the resources that were deployed to yesterday's fire in Naracoorte?

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS (Cheltenham—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:24): I thank the member for his question, primarily as he and so many other members in this place from across the political divide care deeply about their communities, particularly at this time of year, facing significant fire risk. Yesterday at about this time of the day a substantial fire in Naracoorte became apparent, with particular warning messages being relayed to his community. In the space of question time and immediately thereafter I was able to speak with the member for MacKillop immediately, and he expressed to me at that time the concern that he had for his community.

Perhaps before I speak specifically about the assets and the resources that were deployed to the member's local community yesterday, can I first note the exceptional work that has been undertaken for now some 24 hours in responding and controlling the Naracoorte fire just north of the town itself. It has been burning in particularly inaccessible areas and has meant that the tactics, from an operational response to this fire, have been difficult in part but have also enabled a full spread of resources to be deployed, not only with support from CFS with multiple appliances, volunteers and personnel and, I understand, also backed up from the MFS in Mount Gambier, with SES crews supporting as well, but also a very significant number of aerial assets.

By the time question time was complete yesterday, there were already, I believe, six aerial assets, new aerials bombers and observation aircraft, that were being utilised to attack the fire, suppress the fire but also provide real-time intelligence back to the CFS incident management teams that had been deployed.

These were resources that you, sir, may have seen, being a local member who I know is very proud to have some of these new assets positioned in his electorate, as is the member for Flinders over in Port Lincoln: Black Hawk helicopters in the air. Some wonderful footage, quite extraordinary footage, that has been circulating on social mania was the Black Hawk coming in through the Naracoorte Swimming Lake, picking up water in literally seconds—I think about 45 seconds from in and out—and dumping that on the fire. Over 80 drops were made on the fire to suppress it.

What is of particular note is that the member and I were joined by the Minister for Regional Development in Naracoorte late last year—I think October last year, just before the fire season—to announce that for the first time ever there would be a forward deployment of aerial aircraft, including the brand-new Black Hawk, in the member's electorate, supporting the South-East, an incredibly important part of our state, with significant risk but also a very significant contributor to the economy, which does need that very quick support, and we saw that yesterday.

Part of our 31 aircraft around the state, as we currently stand, have pre-deployed, as I mentioned, over in Port Lincoln, in the Adelaide Hills, in Houghton and down in the South-East. Whilst we have had some relief so far this summer, can I take this opportunity to say, as so many members in this place know, the summer is still going. This week and in the coming days we will see not only significant heat but an increasing fire risk. As we have become too accustomed to, a March period will bring significant risk to our community but one which our wonderful firefighters are well equipped and well prepared to be responding to.