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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-02 Daily Xml
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Country Fire Service, APY Lands

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Can the minister inform the house about how the Country Fire Service is working with communities in the APY lands to increase fire safety in remote areas?

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS (Cheltenham—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:29): Thank you to the member for Giles for this question. I note the member for Giles' longstanding commitment to Aboriginal people in this state. He is an incredibly strong advocate for Treaty with Aboriginal peoples. As the member with 497,000 square kilometres of South Australian outback and regional communities, I note his keen interest in the delivery of services on the APY lands. I also note Reconciliation Week, as we all have in this place already.

As part of the commitment of the CFS to the provision of services in our remote and regional communities, in May this year the CFS Outback Rural Team conducted three basic firefighting trainings to train 24 new brigade members from a number of local communities, including members from Pukatja, Kalka and Amata. These newly trained members will now be able to provide vital support to their new home brigades across the APY lands.

Providing adequate firefighting support to communities in the APY lands has unique needs derived from several factors including remoteness, limited communications, and the importance of understanding important cultural and community needs. As part of their commitment and dedication to supporting APY communities, the CFS has a devoted regional officer, the Regional Officer Outback Areas, based in Region 4 Headquarters in Port Augusta. I know the member for Giles and the member for Stuart have both attended there recently.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: Half each. The objective of the officer is to achieve a greater level of fire safety for outback communities in South Australia to meet their unique needs, including those within the APY lands.

As a pivotal part of his duties, this officer regularly meets with key stakeholders, including Indigenous communities, in order to develop and ensure the implementation of fire mitigation strategies such as hazard reduction burns. This important engagement also provides the opportunity to meet with Indigenous rangers and traditional owners to explore how to incorporate different cultural practices into training to be more proactive and to protect and safeguard communities from significant fire events.

This CFS initiative is a valuable opportunity for all parties to learn from and work with one other by incorporating modern technologies and firefighting practices with millennia of history and connection to country and connection to land. Australian Indigenous communities have cared for country for many thousands of years, and respecting and incorporating this knowledge in our state's fire management practices is a privilege and an asset.

I am proud to say that Mintabie was the first CFS brigade implemented in the APY lands in a 1987 plan under the then Labor government. While this brigade has since closed due to the closure of the town, the CFS now has five gazetted brigades across the APY lands who are committed to protecting the lands they call home.

Our government is deeply committed to acknowledging, supporting, working with and respecting the views, the knowledge and the history of our Indigenous peoples, and this is an example of the South Australian emergency services sector creating meaningful partnerships for meaningful outcomes.

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