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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-10 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

BUSHFIRE TASK FORCE

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: The Victorian bushfires in February this year have rightly been described as Australia's worst natural disaster. They destroyed entire communities and devastated countless lives. The date 7 February 2009 will be remembered as one of the darkest days in Australian history. More than 300 fires ignited across Victoria, 173 people lost their life, and more than 2,000 homes were destroyed. Black Saturday was a disaster that has quite literally rewritten the rule book when it comes to bushfires. While many of our bushfire policies have been developed over many years and have served us well, the Victorian bushfires highlighted an overall need to re-examine strategies and policies.

On 5 March 2009, the Minister for Emergency Services announced the formation of a specialist task force, consisting of experts in various fields, following the catastrophic Victorian bushfires. The bushfire task force was commissioned to analyse key issues arising from the Victorian bushfires and to look into immediate, medium and long-term solutions needed to improve bushfire management practices and strategies in South Australia. The task force was chaired by the Chief Officer of the South Australian Country Fire Service, Mr Euan Ferguson, and comprised expert members from 17 government agencies with a role in bushfire planning, mitigation and management.

The task force has now analysed each issue investigated by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission in the South Australian context and developed a set of recommendations for change where it is deemed necessary and appropriate. The culmination of the task force's work is an action plan, which contains 63 recommendations ranging over 26 identified issues. Today, I can inform the house of the state government's response to the task force's recommendation.

The state government will implement immediately a number of recommendations made by the bushfire task force, the first of which will be an investment over the next five years by this government of $12.4 million to establish and roll out a telephone-based emergency warning system, in tandem with the federal government, which will be up and running in time for this year's fire danger season.

The new warning system will allow messages to be sent to landline and mobile phones based on the owner's billing address. I am told that by the 2010-11 bushfire season we expect the system will be technologically able to also send messages to mobile phone users travelling through designated emergency areas. The system will be backed up by a website and a virtual call centre.

While early warnings play a critical role in preventing hazardous events turning into disasters, the system will be dependent on infrastructure that could be damaged during major emergencies. Therefore, the community needs to be mindful not to rely on any one warning system. We will introduce a new nationally agreed graduated warning system which will include the new categories of 'severe', 'extreme' and 'catastrophic', with 'catastrophic' (Code Red) indicating that the Fire Danger Index exceeds 100.

I am advised that the Fire Danger Index for the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires was 120-plus, while the Wangary bushfires had a rating of 340-plus. The purpose of this new category is to tell people that, if a fire starts on one of these catastrophic days, it is highly likely to be fast moving and uncontrollable and that they should not try to stay and defend their homes but go and relocate elsewhere.

The new slogan of PREPARE. ACT. SURVIVE will be adopted by the South Australian government, and nationally, to reinforce the very real message that people simply will not survive unless they are prepared to take the appropriate action. PREPARE. ACT. SURVIVE will be used extensively in all communication material. Other key recommendations made by SA's bushfire task force that will be implemented include:

introducing new CFS guidelines and procedures for 'directed evacuation', involving police and other emergency services;

identifying 'neighbourhood safer places' to be used as an alternative for shelter from a bushfire;

conducting Bushfire Prevention Awareness Week in preparation for fire danger seasons;

developing a dwelling bushfire shelter guideline;

amending the CFS siren policy, recommending that working CFS station sirens be used to provide warnings to communities in specified bushfire emergency situations;

conducting an audit for the provision of more sirens; and

investigating a framework where state and federal government emergency call centres are interlinked and a capacity for mass incoming calls established.

A recommendation by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission was to encourage commercial radio operators to enter into a memorandum of understanding, similar to those that currently exist with the ABC and Radio FIVEaa, for the broadcasting of bushfire warning messages. I can inform the house that this week I have written to commercial radio stations asking them to partner with the CFS to broadcast bushfire warning messages for this fire danger season, which is just 51 days away. This would greatly increase the reach of warnings delivered by radio and reach audiences beyond those of the ABC and FIVEaa.

I can also inform the house that, as a result of changes made by the state government, people can now clear native vegetation within 20 metres of a building without any approval. In addition, the approval process for clearance beyond 20 metres and for fuel reduction and firebreaks has been simplified, with most approvals now being conducted by the CFS rather than the Native Vegetation Council.

A new simplified guide setting out the new rules will be released before the fire season. A combined fuel reduction program has also been given the green light. In fact, the Minister for Environment and Conservation at a news conference today talked about a greatly increased fuel reduction program. A total of 28 prescribed burns are proposed for the spring 2009 and autumn 2010 seasons, covering a total area of 864 hectares.

Whilst SA fire and emergency services can provide advice and warnings to communities, ultimately each individual living in a high risk area needs to be prepared to take protective action at any time. Bushfires strike suddenly, and it is this surprise element that communities and individuals should prepare for. Too many people are unprepared and, as Euan Ferguson said this morning, 'If you own the fuel you own the fire.'

South Australia is at equal risk of a bushfire of the magnitude that occurred in Victoria in February. Climate change and drought are altering the nature, ferocity and duration of bushfires. Unfortunately, it seems that still too many South Australians are under the impression that it will not happen to them. For whatever reason, some people are under the impression that they are immune to any real threat and that a fire will magically deviate from their property or that the CFS, MFS or other emergency services will save them.

People who are not clearing their properties or preparing for the bushfire season are placing themselves, their family, our firefighters, emergency services personnel, volunteers, police and others at risk. Again, I urge all South Australians, no matter where they reside, to prepare for the forthcoming bushfire season.

Since 2002 this government has implemented a number of important initiatives relating to bushfire prevention. One of the first actions was to introduce legislation to parliament to create bushfire offences with a maximum gaol term of 20 years. Expenditure on firefighting aircraft has increased massively since the election of this government. Under the previous government $831,000 per year was allocated to our state's aerial capacity while in 2009-10 $6.9 million has been budgeted for, representing a $6 million increase since we were elected in 2002.

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.

The task now for the government, communities and individuals is to ensure that our state is as prepared and as fire safe and fire ready as possible for the upcoming bushfire season. It is vitally important that we all play our part in the lead-up to and during this bushfire season to ensure that we are bushfire ready. The state government is absolutely determined, in partnership with agencies, local government, communities, voluntary and professional firefighting services, and individuals, to do everything in its power to make our communities better prepared and as safe as possible. We must all prepare, act, survive.

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