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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-15 Daily Xml
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EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

The Hon. P.L. WHITE (Taylor) (15:09): Can the Minister for Ageing inform the house of the government's plans to assist vulnerable South Australians in extreme weather events?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Northern Suburbs, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (15:09): I thank the member for Taylor for her question. Earlier this year, South Australians experienced an extreme heat wave that most of us had never experienced before. During this time we saw an enormous collaborative effort in responding and providing support to thousands of vulnerable people across our state.

The impact of climate change is likely to make extreme weather events more common, so the state government is preparing a whole of government response should such an event reoccur. The Department for Families and Communities has an important role in this planning. Non-government organisations are also a vital link in serving our community, and their assistance during last summer's event was crucial.

The Red Cross teleservice made something like 15,000 calls to vulnerable people around our state and arranged support for many of them. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of launching the new Telecross REDi service, which builds on the existing Telecross service. The REDi service will allow people to preregister, should another extreme event occur, and they will automatically be contacted up to three times a day.

The new REDi service will be working in collaboration with other service organisations to lessen duplication and enhance appropriate responses. The REDi service is a free service, and we expect that up to 15,000 people will register. While the Red Cross, RDNS and state agencies did a magnificent job during the heatwave, we know that being prepared keeps people safe.

The state government has recently given Red Cross a grant to allow the distribution of 50,000 information packs containing copies of its REDi planner, and we have also made a contribution to the new REDi service. The REDi planner will help people be better prepared for extreme weather and other events, including heatwaves, by giving them tips on how to look after themselves and keep themselves safe.

Organisations with a large customer base will receive the information and registration packs to distribute to their clients, including the Royal District Nursing Society, Meals on Wheels, Domiciliary Care and agencies that support Adelaide's multicultural communities. If registered vulnerable clients cannot be reached by phone, they will be visited by appropriate organisations to confirm their health and wellbeing.

Preparing now means that we will have the best chance of managing people through heatwaves this summer and reduce duplication of effort. Volunteers are also absolutely vital for the service to function, and the Red Cross is aiming to have at least 400 trained volunteers who can be activated during an extreme weather event.

South Australia has a great record of volunteering, and the response to last summer's events by volunteers and staff alike was extraordinary. I encourage anyone who feels that they might be able to assist in this vital work to contact the Red Cross to discuss their volunteering opportunities. This house can be assured that the state government is doing all it can to get South Australians ready for the pending summer.

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