South Australian Training Awards

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Can the minister update the chamber about the State Emergency Service's recognition at the recent South Australian Training Awards?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his question, in the knowledge that he, of course, takes an interest in the training that exists within our community as an important service. Earlier this month, the Training and Skills Commission hosted the South Australian Training Awards, the peak state awards for vocational training and education, recognising quality, innovation and excellence in training.

It is a great event and a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge and reward individuals and organisations that excel in training and the delivery of training. I am very pleased to inform the honourable member, and also yourself, Mr President, that at this year's ceremony our very own South Australian State Emergency Service was the winner of the 2016 Medium Employer of the Year. Training is essential to keep our emergency services personnel safe. The SES is made up of a diverse volunteer workforce that reflects the communities they serve.

I know the SES and its management works hard to ensure that there is a range of options available to members when it comes to the acquisition and maintenance of skills and knowledge. I have to say that, based on my own experience, seeing the SES in action during their training nights as well as deployed to real-life emergency incidents, they wholeheartedly deserve this outstanding recognition. Only last month I had the pleasure of attending the Noarlunga SES unit's regular training night in Lonsdale. Together with the members for Fisher, Reynell and Kaurna, it was an extraordinary sight to behold.

I think I have mentioned before that it was a particularly cold and wet evening. While others might find themselves keeping warm at night, enjoying a warm meal, our SES volunteers were out there giving it all. I must say, all of us present were taken aback by the incredibly diverse range of skills that were on display within our State Emergency Service. It showcased not just their incredible talent and expertise, but also their high regard for safety and continuous improvement.

Access to high-quality national accredited training ensures that State Emergency Service members have the skills they need to perform a diversity of roles, such as conducting bluewater marine search and rescue missions, rescuing people caught in floodwaters or stranded on cliffs, extricating injured people trapped in vehicles after road accidents, searching for people who are lost and climbing up onto rooftops during a storm to attach tarps that will protect homes from further damage.

The culture of a commitment to training is always apparent to me no matter which unit I go to and one which this government is proud to support through the recent state budget, where we committed an additional $6.2 million to bolster volunteer training through the introduction of nine full-time training positions. It was great to see a number of these volunteers join me last Tuesday night in the Old Chamber for a chance for this government to say thank you for the outstanding work they have done throughout a wild winter period, which has seen the SES respond to more than 7,300 calls for assistance, more than double what they would have otherwise seen in a normal winter.

I commended the Chief Officer, Chris Beattie, on his commitment to ensuring our SES volunteers are amongst the best trained in the world. He is absolutely right when he says that, in the emergency services sector, training is not nice to have but it is essential in enabling the service to provide emergency response capabilities for the South Australian community. As we reflect upon what has been an incredibly busy and extremely tumultuous season for the SES, it is fitting that they should be recognised for their efforts to ensure our state has the very best when it comes to emergency response and in supporting the invaluable work that the SES volunteers do.

I say this because I know that, as we speak in the comfort of this chamber, no doubt there are many SES volunteers, ably assisted by many CFS volunteers who have also been responding productively and efficiently to many of the events that have occurred during the course of this winter, out there in the service of the state and other members of their community. Their resilience, their commitment, their sincerity and, above all, the humility by which they go about their work continues to amaze me and they are to be commended. We thank them for their service, particularly on days like today.