AIR-CRANES

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Emergency Services a question about air-cranes.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: On Monday 26 May, the government announced that funding for aerial firefighting will increase from an estimated $5.942 million in 2007-08 to a budget allocation of $6.795 million in 2008-09. This represents an increase of $850,000. The Premier indicated in his press release on that day that the allocation will enable a type 1 helicopter, such as the Erickson air-crane, to be based in South Australia over the fire danger season. On 11 December 2007, Treasurer Foley said on radio FIVEaa that air-cranes cost $250,000 a day. My questions to the minister are:

1. What change in the air-crane service will result from the funding announced by the Premier?

2. Will the minister confirm that last fire season South Australia shared an air-crane with other jurisdictions and that, as a result of the $850,000 funding, South Australia will continue to share the same air-crane with other jurisdictions; the only change will be that that vehicle will be based in South Australia?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for his question. The honourable member has got it all wrong, I am afraid—entirely wrong. The difference, of course, in the announcement that has been made pre-budget is that South Australia will have its own air-crane, its own type 1 helicopter, here in South Australia. We have tendered for one, and it will be based here in South Australia rather than sharing that resource, as we have done in the past. I would have thought that members opposite would have seen what has happened with the climatic change in the last two seasons right throughout Australia but, of course, in particular in South Australia.

As has been said, the 2008-09 budget provides for an additional $15.93 million over four years to increase aerial firefighting capacity in South Australia. What that actually means in terms of the air-crane support is a large capacity firefighting helicopter such as the air-crane to be based in South Australia during the bushfire season, an upgrade of fire retardant mixing infrastructure for aerial firefighting, additional staffing for the safe and effective management of air operations and the establishment of bulk water supplies at strategic air strips.

The large capacity helicopter will be in addition to the existing aerial firefighting fleet that we have here in South Australia. Just for the information of members opposite, in this last bushfire season (2007-08) South Australia's aerial firefighting fleet included: in the Mount Lofty Ranges, two fixed wing bombers, two medium firefighting helicopters and one surveillance helicopter; in the Lower South East, two fixed wing bombers and one fixed wing surveillance; in the Lower Eyre Peninsula, two fixed wing bombers and one fixed wing surveillance; and as a secondary response we had one fixed wing bomber, one fixed wing surveillance, access to the Adelaide Bank rescue helicopters and access to additional fixed wing bombers as required.

The large capacity firefighting helicopter will work in conjunction with our existing fleet. The fixed wing bombers provide rapid initial attack, while the large capacity helicopter is very effective in high risk urban bushland interface areas. As I said before, the bushfire risk to South Australia due to the continuing dry conditions we still see now. I know that those on the land are very much hoping to see another break.

Our conditions are very real. As I said, it was demonstrated during the 2007-08 season with significant fires on Kangaroo Island and at Belair, Williamstown and Willunga. The large capacity helicopter was brought across to South Australia for Kangaroo Island and provided effective assistance in each of these fires.

I place on the record that while aircraft are a valuable firefighting resource, they do not replace the need for firefighters on the ground. We are always indebted to our volunteers. Aircraft work with and support our volunteer firefighters. Firefighting aircraft are procured—I think we probably all now know—through a national tendering process, coordinated by the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) to ensure value for money. South Australia, of course, sits on the board of NAFC, as do all other states.

What we saw in the past two bushfire seasons was money budgeted for aerial support but, of course, the actual amount was much larger than that. Indeed, in 2007-08 we estimate it to be about $6 million. The government always takes advice on the composition of its aerial firefighting fleet from the experts in the CFS. I do not decide what planes or helicopters we have. Those decisions are made at the operational level.

Over the past two fire danger seasons in South Australia we have seen dry conditions, an acute lack of rain, changing farming practices and land use and an early start and late end to the bushfire season in this state. We now commonly refer to it as climate change, of course. It does mean that we call on our volunteers to serve longer and for longer periods, and they have also been called to deal with larger, more intense campaign fires.

That does mean that the risk has increased. The government has responded to increases in the base fleet in the past two seasons, as I have mentioned. It has also availed itself of the shared resources as a member of NAFC. We have seen those climatic changes leading to the CFS chief officer to advise government that the risk profile of the state required a large capacity aerial firefighting helicopter to be based in South Australia for the entire length of the fire danger season.

Previously, the advice from the CFS was that accessing the shared resource from NAFC was appropriate. As we know, this has proved successful in the past. During the last season, we saw an air-crane based in South Australia. It came over for the Kangaroo Island fires and, from memory, stayed here until early April.

As I said, I have always accepted the operational advice of the CFS at the time. Now, with the drastic changes to our climate and the continuation of the drought, I accept the advice of the CFS that we need an air-crane permanently based here in South Australia, and I am sure that, rather than criticising us, members opposite will congratulate us on the decision we have taken.