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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-06-22 Daily Xml
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Kangaroo Island Bushfire Response

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Do you think that the investigations into the cause and firefighting effort of the Kangaroo Island bushfires have been adequate?

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:46): I thank the member for Mawson for the question. No-one should have to go through what the people of Kangaroo Island had to go through during the 2019-20 bushfires. In saying that, I can advise the house that, following any significant incident, obviously the CFS do undertake an investigation and an independent review, and C3 Resilience was commissioned by the CFS to conduct the independent review into the CFS's response to the bushfires that burned across Kangaroo Island during December 2019 to February 2020.

Further to our independent review as a whole—and, obviously, we were the first state government in all of Australia to commission our own independent bushfire review held by Mr Mick Keelty—and consequent to that, I am pleased to advise the house that all 27 of the immediate action items have actually been implemented.

We are getting on with the job of making sure that we learn from the past and making sure that we continue to invest in our emergency services: new trucks, AVL technology being rolled out as we speak and thermal imaging cameras right across the board. If you look at thermal imaging cameras, if you look at AVL technology—AVL technology was around and able to be utilised by the former government since about 2012. The only thing that was missing was the government money behind it. We have made sure that we do respect the processes that are underway, but that we continue to invest in our emergency services.

Getting to the member for Mawson's question, I do understand that two personnel from one of the Kangaroo Island CFS groups have been suspended while an investigation is conducted. Obviously, as that investigation continues, it would be inappropriate for me to make further comment about that, but the member may be aware that there are the Fire and Emergency Services Regulations. They prescribe the manner in which these CFS disciplinary processes must occur. This includes the process that must take place when an initial complaint or allegation is made.

In accordance with the regulations, as the member is aware, if members have been suspended that would be standard practice in the CFS, and it is important not only to uphold the integrity of the CFS but also to afford natural justice to CFS members who are accused of anything. So we have to be very careful there.

Generally speaking, our government is continuing to invest in South Australia's emergency services. After there are any significant bushfire incidents, it's important that we take stock of what worked well and what can be improved. As it does with any significant incident, the CFS has commissioned an operational review into its response on Kangaroo Island. I have enjoyed going multiple times to Kangaroo Island, talking to and thanking many of the volunteers who gave up so much to do absolutely everything they could to defend the island during those fires.

As I said, in response to recommendations of the independent review we are delivering an over $97 million action plan designed to create what I would say is definitely a safer, more bushfire-resilient South Australia, and I have spoken about things we are implementing such as better AVL technology being rolled out, over 25 new trucks, and a retrofit of CFS vehicles with burnover protection systems.

For the first time ever, there will actually be a permanent CFS staffing presence on Kangaroo Island—16 years of Labor government, and no permanent CFS resource on the island. We have come into government, we have done this review and we need to learn from the past: for the first time there will be a permanent CFS staffing resource on Kangaroo Island. That resource will work hard, night and day, to make sure they improve the situation over there.

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