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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-14 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

BUSHFIRES

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:02): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: This Saturday, the 25th anniversary of the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires will be commemorated at a public ceremony to be held in the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden at 3.30pm.

Let us remember that on Wednesday 16 February 1983, South Australians awoke to a day of unrelenting weather conditions. We in were in the grip of a severe drought and the state braced itself for a day of strong, dry northerly winds and scorching temperatures above 40° Centigrade. The director of the Country Fire Service declared a red alert total fire ban.

By mid-morning a fierce dust storm (whipped up from drought-ravaged plains) blanketed areas of the state's north, the South-East, the city and the Adelaide Hills. Before noon, fires were reported in the Clare Valley, near Port Lincoln, at McLaren Flat and Anstey Hill. Multiple reports of fires inundated the state's emergency services centres as winds gusting up to 100 km/h fanned blazes in the Mid North, the Adelaide Hills and the Lower South-East. All were declared major fires.

The 231 brigades of the South Australian Country Fire Service, along with members of the state's emergency services, the Metropolitan Fire Service, South Australia Police, staff from the department for the environment and thousands of volunteers risked injury and death as they battled the firestorms.

Many firefighters risked their own lives and left their properties undefended in order to save the lives and homes of others. Families were trapped in their home as the fires raged out of control and hundreds of houses, sheds, farmland properties and vehicles were gutted. National parks forests were incinerated, historic buildings and their irreplaceable contents were destroyed. Townships were evacuated, roads were closed, and electricity and telephone lines across South Australia were cut. Dust, smoke and ash flew hundreds of metres into the sky and created an eerie darkness that covered much of our state and obscured the fires, blocking out the sun. With visibility reduced, vital fire-spotting aircraft were forced to remain grounded.

South Australia was ravaged by a conflagration of flames that became known around the world as Ash Wednesday. At the same time, equally devastating fires were being fought in Victoria. Tragically, the disaster claimed 28 lives in our state. Three of those who perished were registered CFS volunteers. More than 1,500 people were injured: 85 of those were hospitalised. Countless others also received medical assistance from St Johns Ambulance volunteers, who worked tirelessly throughout the ordeal. Stock losses exceeded 250,000 head, and the total cost of loss or damage to private property in South Australia was estimated at over $200 million. The total damage bill was estimated at almost $400 million. In a telegram sent to the then Australian Governor-General, Sir Ninian Stephen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II expressed her shock and distress at the tragic loss of lives and property.

Those who suffered through the direct effects or the consequences of those horrific firestorms on that hellish day 25 years ago hoped and prayed that they would never see its like again. However, tragically, barely two decades later, on 11 January 2005, South Australians again relived that horror when fires swept across the Lower Eyre Peninsula and claimed nine lives. More than 100 homes and properties were destroyed and 47,000 head of livestock were destroyed in what became known as the Wangary bushfires.

Then on 6 December last year bushfires broke out on Kangaroo Island. One young life was tragically lost and 90,000 hectares of property was devastated in the worst fires on the island in living memory. Once again, our CFS and volunteers displayed incredible bravery and selflessness in bringing those fires under control to protect public safety, as well as one of this state's great environmental assets.

As the drought continues to be felt right across South Australia, fires remain an escalating and difficult to combat threat. It is generally accepted that changing weather patterns mean that bushfire seasons will be longer and there will be more frequent days of extreme fire danger. We have already seen earlier starts and later finishes to the fire danger season. Consequently, the government is committed to making sure its bushfire message gets across. The Bushfire Ready campaign, launched in November last year, has strongly reinforced the core message of 'go early or stay and defend', and has encouraged people to change their behaviour. In addition, around 80,000 bushfire action plans have been mailed directly to residents in bushfire-prone areas across the state.

The government believes that it is vital for the community to be well educated, well prepared and well aware that it must always be prepared for bushfires. We have provided $2 million over the next four years for fire education initiatives. We have also held meetings in fire-affected communities during high level incidents, and the meetings held recently on Kangaroo Island were very successful and welcomed by the island community. SAFECOM office personnel are trained to assist as bushfire information hotline operators during the fire danger season, and mutual aid arrangements between the CFS, MFS and the State Emergency Service have been reviewed.

Additional funding of $2.53 million over four years was announced in the 2007-08 budget to expand training in rural firefighting, tactical command and leadership areas, and are among other programs that were commenced last year. Improved development planning controls for dwellings built in bushfire-prone areas, increased use of aircraft, better communication systems, improved diesel-powered trucks and pumps, and a strong 'safety first' commitment to firefighting are also assisting our firefighters.

National standards have been adopted for training firefighters and managers, and there is strong national coordination through the Australasian Fire Authorities Council, the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre and the National Aerial Firefighting Centre.

The government has more than doubled its spending on aerial firefighting resources. In last year's budget, an additional $2 million in funding was provided to match increased commonwealth funding. The development of crown fire-free zones in plantation forests, the removal of trees and overhanging branches near power lines and the relocation of some power lines is providing more effective bushfire management practices. In addition, increased penalties for causing fires on total fire ban days and improved funding for CFS brigades through the emergency services levy all help to further reduce the potential threat posed by bushfires.

The government has also invested in state-of-the-art technology such as infrared cameras in aircraft, satellite images, global positioning systems, foams, retardants and GIS mapping data to further the fight against bushfires. The government recognises that our CFS and SES volunteers, and our MFS firefighters, require special support and recognition, which is why SAFECOM continues to provide support services to all emergency service agencies.

We also acknowledge the enormous contribution and generosity of employers who willingly allow their workers to take leave and assist so tirelessly during emergency situations. There is no doubt that South Australia's emergency services are well trained and resourced in order to maintain the most challenging situations and this preparedness is due greatly to the outstanding efforts of our extraordinary volunteers.

This government acknowledges the vital role that our volunteers play in the provision of effective and efficient emergency services in South Australia. These volunteers—the role models for our community—epitomise the spirit of decency, selflessness, citizenship and courage. I commend to this house our professional and volunteer firefighters who typify the true meaning of citizenship in our state and our nation. They continually put their lives at risk to ensure our safety and to minimise our suffering in the face of disaster.

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