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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-04-06 Daily Xml
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CFS FOUNDATION

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon) (14:15): I ask the Premier, can he update the house on the progress of the CFS Foundation?

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

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) (14:15): Oh, you don't like the CFS, is that the problem?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: You were there, that's right. I remember your applause.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Madam Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for his question. I am pleased to advise the house that I relaunched the CFS Foundation on 28 March 2011. It was attended by an honourable member opposite—though it was not in his electorate, I have to say; it was the Leader of the Opposition's electorate. This fresh era sees the foundation with a new structure, a new logo, a new awareness campaign and a new website.

What remains unchanged, however, is its core commitment to provide benefits and support for outstanding volunteer firefighters and their families. It is a cause that recognises and honours the priceless and selfless contribution made by our state's more than 15,000 CFS volunteers of which a number of members of this house are members. In fact, I would like to recognise the Minister for Families and Communities. I have seen her in action fighting a fire—and I will not talk any more about it.

These upstanding citizens fight fires in all variety of rural and urban terrains, attend vehicle accidents and clean up after storms and spills, constantly putting the needs of their community ahead of their own. About 8,000 incidents are attended by the state's 423 brigades each year in South Australia, and I understand that the Salisbury brigade is one of the busiest.

In recent years, we have seen all too starkly the horrors they regularly confront and the danger those events invariably present. I remind members that 28 years ago three brave CFS volunteers lost their lives as the Ash Wednesday fires roared through our state. Recently, as the hellish Black Saturday fires engulfed Victoria, about 800 South Australian personnel joined the battle, with some suffering serious injuries.

One such volunteer was Ian Kleinig, a lieutenant with the Burra brigade, who was struck by a falling tree limb. The CFS Foundation not only enabled Ian's family to fly to Melbourne to be with him when he regained consciousness but it also helped out with emergency funds and extra support while Ian recovered in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and in the Hampstead Rehab Centre.

Following Black Saturday and the devastating Wangary fires on our West Coast in 2005, changes to the CFS Foundation were recommended. Its management committee recognised that a substantial fund was needed to support CFS volunteers should another catastrophic large-scale fire event arise. As a result, the CFS Foundation established a new board chaired by former chief executive of the CFS, Vince Monterola.

Can I just say that I could not think of many people in this state who deserve the title of 'exemplary citizen'. I know that the member for Mawson, the Minister for Infrastructure and all of us who worked closely with Vince (and I am sure on both sides of the house) know that he is a person who has put years and years of dedication not only into the CFS but also into all the things that he does for us. He played a major role in the rebuilding of the Eyre Peninsula following the dreadful fires there a few years ago.

Members of the house would recall that Vince, a serving CFS volunteer since 1964, has also served in a number of senior roles, including presiding member of our SAFECOM Board. Vince also headed the West Coast Recovery Committee, as I mentioned, following the fires in 2005.

The foundation aims to raise significant funds in order to provide even greater financial assistance to volunteer firefighters and their families. It will work to raise community awareness of the enormous contribution made by our CFS volunteers and further enhance their firefighting capacity and expertise through fellowships, education initiatives and training programs. I was pleased to announce a donation of $50,000 from the state government to assist the foundation with its new fundraising push.

Since the Black Saturday fires, the South Australian government has committed more than $47 million to make sure our state is even better prepared for the threat posed by fire through community awareness campaigns, a new emergency management system, technology and infrastructure upgrades, and additional resources to increase burn-offs and further reduce fuel hazards.

There is no doubt that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our CFS volunteers and staff. They are the people who so often risk their lives to save the lives and livelihoods of others. They display qualities that transcend dedication and courage. They are the very essence of care and humanity and reflect the true spirit of citizenship. I urge all South Australians to get behind this terrific initiative and support the people who protect our towns, neighbourhoods and families.

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