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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-12-01 Daily Xml
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Pinery Bushfires

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion. Can the minister expand—

Mr Marshall: No plan to create jobs—none.

The SPEAKER: The leader is warned for the second and final time. I am most reluctant to throw out the leader under the sessional order. I give him colossal scope to interject and carry on, and I would ask him to return to order. The member for Little Para.

Mr ODENWALDER: Thank you for your protection, sir. Can the minister expand on how the government is supporting the recovery effort after the Pinery bushfire?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:45): The Pinery fires have caused great devastation and heartache in the Mid North region. I am incredibly saddened at the loss of life and the numbers injured, including those still in critical condition in hospital.

The full impact of the fires is still emerging. Already it is clear that many people have not only lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods but are also deeply traumatised by their experiences fleeing and fighting the fire. The government will stand by individuals, families and the community on the long journey to recovery. The recovery effort has already commenced. Officers from the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion have worked around the clock to get people the support and help they need.

Three emergency relief centres were rapidly established at Gawler, Balaklava and Clare on the evening of Wednesday 25 November and, as of yesterday evening, 1,162 people have been assisted. Housing SA is leading the emergency relief functional service, with around 60 staff providing assistance and support, and I thank them for their outstanding efforts. As well as the work at the relief centres, Housing SA staff, in conjunction with Red Cross, have begun going out into the community, to people's homes and to local gathering places to speak with those affected to offer support and help.

We are also working hard to get information to the community. The recovery hotline on 1800 302 787 and the official recovery website, at sa.gov.au/recovery, were rapidly activated on 25 November. This website is a one-stop shop for information for both those affected by the fires and those who want to help out. The first Pinery fire recovery newsletter was distributed to the community yesterday through many different channels, and this will be the first of many.

As the Premier has already announced, Mr Vince Monterola was appointed the local recovery coordinator on 26 November. Mr Monterola is a very experienced South Australian and experienced in recovery work, including having led the recovery effort after the Wangary fires in 2005. A local recovery committee has already been established, and I anticipate that a recovery centre will be announced shortly.

The State Recovery Office in DCSI, under the leadership of Ronnie Faggoter, is coordinating the cross-government recovery effort. All government departments are working together and, with non-government organisations and local government, covering everything from roads and infrastructure, essential services, health and welfare support, environmental issues, support for landholders and businesses, waste disposal, replacement of lost documents and support.

The SA Pinery Fire Appeal is being administered by the State Emergency Relief Fund Committee and is supported by the department. Details of how to donate have been widely publicised. I encourage South Australians to give generously. As of this morning, 1,259 donations, totalling $193,307, have been received and, of course, the Premier has just announced that the South Australian government will put in $1 million to that fire appeal.

It is incredibly sad to think that we are only just finalising recovery efforts for the Sampson Flat fire. We know that there is a long road ahead for the community of the Mid North, but the government and all South Australians will stand by them.

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