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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-05 Daily Xml
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Bushfire Recovery Support

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (17:27): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney provide further information to the house about the assistance Consumer and Business Services is providing to bushfire-affected communities, including my own?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (17:28): Indeed I can. I thank the member for Kavel for his question because Consumer and Business Services probably wouldn't be seen at first blush as an organisation or unit that provides immediate and direct assistance to those in bushfire-affected communities, but let me assure you that the government and all our agencies are working very hard to ensure that we provide services in the aftermath of bushfires, particularly to those who have been affected in a manner that is significantly after the bushfires have passed.

Obviously, it can take many months and years for those affected to come to the attention of some of the agencies, so all our agencies are on alert to provide such services. If I think of one directly within Consumer and Business Services, I think of the Public Trustee during the fire with inquiries being made as to whether someone might have left a will with the Public Trustee in circumstances where someone has died during a fire and they may have lost certain documents that can prove their identity.

The immediate role in the wake of this natural disaster may not be obvious, as I say, but the practical measures have been put in place. Births, Deaths and Marriages, as a constituent part of CBS pursuant to its natural disaster policy, is providing replacement certificates free of charge to those who have lost them during the fire. As members know, identity documents are so important to access a range of other government services and assistance. CBS is working closely with the statewide recovery centre, which will issue a card confirming the person's entitlement for free certificates prior to the person making an application thereby streamlining that process.

Births, Deaths and Marriages will waive the fee if the person resides in New South Wales and was affected by interstate fires but their birth or other registered event occurred in South Australia, while interstate registrars will apply the same waiver for South Australian residents where their event occurred interstate. Sometimes we have circumstances such as that at the Western Australian border.

I know the Premier was active in negotiating with his Western Australian counterparts to assist South Australians in Western Australia stuck on the other side of the border. Similarly, Western Australians were stuck in South Australia unable to traverse. This is the incidental legacy of some of these events and they do need our assistance. Some of them are temporary and some of them are resolved. Thank you to the Premier for his negotiation of that matter. Our South Australians were able to get back but were fed and looked after in the meantime and I think we looked after the Western Australians pretty well too.

The other matter I just bring to the attention of the house is that Births, Deaths and Marriages will waive the fee, otherwise in interstate. In addition, from the outset CBS has been providing advice to other government agencies, particularly the Department of Human Services, as the department managing the state's bushfire appeal, as to their legislative obligations. CBS is working with stakeholders and the not-for-profit sector to streamline the process where possible for charity applications.

CBS is also assisting other organisations where possible by expediting approvals, waiving requirements for fees where the proceeds of fundraisers would go to bushfire relief efforts. This includes fundraisers by Tennis SA, SA Cricket and the live music event Fire Aid. I also advise anyone affected by bushfires to contact CBS directly for waiver of other fees and charges which will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In that area, in relation to licence fees and permits and the like for which they are responsible, I thank CBS for their work in this regard. I am also proud to say that the fines unit has been letting a lot of people off, and I am happy to advise the house further in due course of their assistance in the circumstances.

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