Wear Orange Wednesday

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN (Kavel—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Special Minister of State) (15:28): This year, Wear Orange Wednesday fell on Wednesday 22 May, and I had the opportunity to attend at my local SES station in Mount Barker to meet with volunteers and to be better informed about the local response in the Adelaide Hills.

Members will know, of course, that this year SES volunteers responded to 2,500 calls for assistance and they have in recent times prepared over 43,000 hours of volunteer training. Volunteers are the backbone of communities right across South Australia and their selflessness and dedication to helping others enriches us and, in the case of emergency services, keeps us safe and helps us in our time of need.

The government is committed to ensuring that the emergency services' volunteer community are recognised and supported. Wear Orange Wednesday is always a wonderful opportunity to recognise the immense contribution of the State Emergency Service to South Australia. The SES is, as members know, a volunteer-based emergency assistance and rescue service. They are the state hazard leader for all flood and extreme weather events and provide emergency assistance to the people of South Australia around the clock, seven days a week and 365 days a year. The SES provides a wide range of services and responds to extreme weather events, including floods, storms and heatwaves; road crashes; marine rescue requirements, including swift water; and vertical and confined space rescues. On the weekend, as I indicated, I was able to meet a number of personnel in my own community, and on the day.

I want to make a special mention of access to a game that the previous minister had arranged when the Adelaide Crows were playing at Adelaide Oval, and this is but one small way in which we can all bring the emergency services community together to issue our thanks. SES personnel were active around the ground to promote their services, including members from the Prospect and eastern units as well as members from the community engagement team. Appliances and equipment were, of course, also on display, including rescue trucks, a rescue vessel, a swift water rigid vessel and three search dogs—Jack, Mac and Herb—and their handlers.

Beyond their core responsibilities, the SES also provides significant support to other agencies. For example, the SES provides vital assistance to other agencies including SAPOL in land search operations and traffic management, and supports the South Australian Country Fire Service during major bushfires. The SES also provides support and critical information to the community in relation to heatwaves. During heatwave conditions, the SES issues daily heatwave summaries. While not as immediately intimidating as flood or storm events, heat can lead to serious illness and death, especially among vulnerable people.

It goes without saying that many, and in fact most, of the jobs the SES attends are assisting people who are injured, scared, tired or stressed, and they are the volunteers who help them get through that moment. I am particularly grateful to all the SES volunteers throughout South Australia and to the SES staff for the immense contribution they make to all communities across our state. It is also important to emphasise that every family allows a volunteer to contribute, and it might be said that families have volunteered beside those who are wearing orange.