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The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:34): Does the declaring of a major incident, as the minister has just identified, result in the invoking of the use of Auslan interpreters, the same as it would for a declared emergency? Are there two terminologies for the same thing in this context?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:34): I thank the honourable member for her question. For all intents and purposes, yes, in this particular instance. In light of the advice that I shared with the chamber yesterday afternoon of the state's intention to use Auslan interpreters in a way that was consistent with the discretion of the state controller, which up until the declaration yesterday from the police commissioner was indeed the State Emergency Service, and you would have seen, hopefully, through television broadcasts that have taken place that Auslan interpreters were present.

For the sake of clarity, again, I will explain. A declared emergency is different from a declared major incident; there is a distinction. In respect to your question, the State Emergency Management Plan changed and it refers to Auslan interpreters, and specifically refers to a declared emergency, which was not what took place; it was a declared major incident. So, for the purposes of the specific provision that you refer to in the State Emergency Management Plan, that was not enacted.

In any event, Auslan interpreters were made available and present at all press conferences, and certainly all the ones that I have witnessed (and I have been at almost all of them, or to the best of my knowledge I have been at all of them) there has been an Auslan interpreter present but that was done in accordance with the respective state controllers or authorities exercising their discretion to ensure that they were present and that is what has occurred.