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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-02-17 Daily Xml
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VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (16:21): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: What has unfolded in Victoria over the last 10 days is a tragedy beyond comprehension. The date of 7 February 2009 will now be remembered as one of the darkest days in Australia's history. The enormity of the loss of human life, the destruction of homes and property, and the loss of entire townships beggars belief. Just like the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, it is the small communities in rural and semi-rural areas that have borne the brunt of these destructive infernos.

In the weeks and months that follow we will closely examine what occurred in Victoria. Even before the flames are extinguished, questions are being asked and debate has begun about bushfire preparedness and policy. Unfortunately, it seems that many South Australians may be under the impression 'it won't happen to me'. For whatever reasons, some people are under the impression that they are immune to any real threat and that a fire will magically deviate from their property. South Australia is not impervious to a bushfire of this magnitude, and the devastation continuing to unfold in Victoria should be sending a strong, albeit sombre, message to residents here that having a proper bushfire action plan is vital.

The 'prepare to stay and defend or go early' position is a national policy which has been developed over many years in conjunction with all Australian fire agencies and which is based on research, experience and history. There is no doubt that this policy will be scrutinised by the royal commission, as it has been in previous inquiries—the last occurring in 2006 during the Wangary coronial inquest.

People who do not have a bushfire action plan are placing themselves, their family and others at risk. Residents in bushfire-prone areas, as part of a bushfire action plan, must decide, based on their own individual circumstances, well before a bushfire occurs, or preferably before the fire danger season arrives, whether they will stay or go. Those who decide to stay and defend need to ensure that they have properly prepared their home from the threat of bushfire. I urge all residents who live in the bush, the suburban fringe or regional South Australia to refamiliarise themselves with the Preparing for Bushfires booklet prepared by the CFS and make sure that they have a bushfire action plan in place.

The state government will monitor closely the recently announced royal commission into the Victorian bushfires. In the meantime, I am advised that there are 37 Bushfire Cooperative Research researchers in the field, gathering evidence from the fire-affected areas. The evidence will contribute to any review by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council of bushfire policy and can be independent of the timing of the royal commission. If required, the state government will not wait for the outcome of the royal commission. If there is evidence that immediate changes need to be made to bushfire policy, we will take that necessary action.

We are committed to ensuring that South Australia has the most effective bushfire management practices in place. The state government is continually looking to enhance bushfire management practices. One immediate step we will take is to establish a telephone warning system. We see many advantages in a properly designed all risk telephone based warning system. South Australia is well placed to leverage off the recent announcement by the commonwealth government that, as a matter of urgency, it will introduce legislation to overcome privacy and data security restrictions.

An emergency information and warnings working group was established several months ago and senior South Australian emergency service officers have been involved in monitoring the development of two current message delivery products, namely, Telstra and the Western Australian government's 'State Alert'. The acceleration of commonwealth legislation will enable South Australia to fast-track the implementation of such a system. Accordingly, the South Australian Fire and Emergency Service Commission is leading a team of operational and technical experts to develop a business case for a system implementation in South Australia. The team has already arranged to analyse the 'State Alert' product in Western Australia as part of the development process.

It is important to note that both the Telstra and State Alert systems are still in the developmental phase, but I have been assured we will give the utmost urgency to implementing a telephone warning system in South Australia to complement our existing bushfire warning systems. The technology currently being considered will enable an area or community at risk to be identified through geographic information systems and a warning message sent to the target area by mobile or fixed-line phones.

Since 2002, this government has implemented a number of important initiatives relating to bushfire prevention. One of the first actions of this government was to introduce legislation into parliament to create 'bushfire' offences with a maximum gaol term of 20 years. Since the Premier's bushfire summit, a number of important initiatives relating to bushfire risk management have been implemented. Expenditure on firefighting aircraft has increased significantly since the election of the government. Under the previous government, $831,000 per year was allocated to our state's aerial capacity, while in 2008-09, $6.795 million has been budgeted for, representing an almost $6 million increase by this government.

I am advised that South Australia is the only state that has a formalised bushfire warning system, consisting of information and warning messages broadcast on ABC and FIVEaa radio at regular intervals during a bushfire, dependent on the level of risk to public safety. This is complemented by the warnings on the CFS website and the CFS bushfire information hotline. Our firefighters are better trained and better resourced than ever before, with improvements in training, increases in funding and the provision of protective clothing and new equipment that is the envy of other services across the country.

While it is still too early to draw any definitive conclusions from the recent tragic events in Victoria, the state government will monitor, with interest, the progress and the outcomes of Victoria's royal commission. In the meantime, I would urge South Australians to remain vigilant and make sure they are fire ready and have a bushfire action plan in place.

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