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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-05-01 Daily Xml
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International Firefighters' Day

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (12:04): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that 4 May is International Firefighters' Day;

(b) remembers the firefighters who have lost their lives whilst protecting the community;

(c) shows its support and appreciation for firefighters who put themselves at risk and work hard every day to protect our community;

(d) acknowledges that firefighters can experience traumatic events in the course of their duties; and

(e) acknowledges the Malinauskas government's investment in additional mental health and wellbeing support for more than 15,000 volunteer emergency services first responders and their families by increasing the resources of Stress Prevention and Management (SPAM).

Lieutenant J.J. Edmondson in 1999 said:

The role of a firefighter in today's society—be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defence force, aviation, motor sport, or other is one of dedication, commitment and sacrifice—no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service we fight together against one common enemy—fire—no matter what country we come from, what uniform we wear or what language we speak.

He was absolutely correct. We all share a common goal, and that is to fight until it is out. May the 4th is International Firefighters' Day, but it is also Star Wars Day. On Saturday we are celebrating not only the heroes of the saga—the fearless Jedi, who nobly devote their lives to upholding peace in the galaxy—but extending our admiration to some real-life heroes, our firefighters.

May the 4th was chosen as International Firefighters' Day as it is also St Florian's Day. St Florian is the patron saint of the fire service. Born in Cetium, now part of Austria, around 250 AD, Florian was the first known commander of a firefighting squad in the Roman army. Florian was found not carrying out his orders, which were to persecute all Christians in a certain area. Emperor Diocletian did not take this news too kindly and sentenced Florian to death by fire.

Just before Roman soldiers were going to light the fire that would end Florian's life, he said to them, 'If you do, I will climb to heaven on the flames.' This led the soldiers to reverse their decision to burn Florian and instead drowned him. Christians later retrieved his body, and he is now buried near Lorch at an Augustinian monastery. St Florian was named patron saint of Poland after Pope Lucius III agreed to the request of King Casimir to send relics of Florian there. Not long after this, somebody was saved from a fire by invoking St Florian's name.

Since that moment, Florian is known in most countries as patron saint of the fire service. His feast day is celebrated on 4 May. The reason he lost his life is because of the same humane ideas that firefighters have today.

On 4 May we remember all firefighters who have lost their lives whilst protecting our communities. Firefighters do not think twice about heading straight out the door, up to the station, onto the truck and out to the fire front. Their families, however, who are left behind do worry. They do think about what might be happening and, even if they are not religious, pray that their loved one will walk through the door at the end of the shift. Sometimes, sadly that is not the case, and on Saturday and every day we always have them in our hearts.

In order to write my contribution today I wanted to hear from some of our newest recruits, our youngest firefighters: our cadets. Last Wednesday on ANZAC eve I joined some of our Sturt group cadets when they were waiting for their turn to hold ground at the Blackwood ANZAC Youth Vigil. Young Ellie, whose dad is a CFS volunteer and whose mum is an SES employee, helped me with my endeavours. Ellie and her family recently became Australian citizens, and what a fantastic example of how those who come to our country, who choose to make Australia their home, give back to our communities.

We asked the cadets what motivates them to be a CFS cadet. Ellie herself thinks that the opportunity for skill development keeps her committed. Tayla said that learning and developing new skills to one day help out the community and to see her friends is what keeps her motivated. It was clear that the camaraderie was a strong reason the cadets were committed, and Harper gave kudos to their leader, Andy Desteno, for his drive to stay on as a cadet. I can vouch for Andy: he is a wonderful role model and excellent firefighter from our Cherry Gardens brigade.

We also asked the cadets why they choose to be a cadet in the first place. Emma said that it is because her whole family has done it, and she wants to help the community. Emma's family, the Simms, most certainly all have done it. They are incredibly well known throughout our community, especially John, who is the number one fundraiser for the Sturt group.

Tayla's dad is also a CFS member, and my heart melted when she said that he is her role model, and she wants to be like him when she is older. James' dad is also a CFS member, as is Saxon's, and they look up to their fathers. Matilda wants to learn how she can help the community, Angus said he had always looked up to firefighters and the CFS, and Evie and Harper wanted to give back to community.

I also asked them what they admire most about CFS volunteers. Jaxon said that they care about the future of the CFS, Harper said that they put themselves on the line for the community, and Matilda admired the fact that they give up their free time to help the community. Angus and James admire their bravery and courage, and Emma feels that they protect and care about the environment. It was absolutely lovely to hear all of the thoughts from our future firefighters, and I look forward to standing alongside them in battle should the occasion arise. I would also like to thank them again for their dedication at the ANZAC vigil. It was long and cold night but they stood tall and represented the CFS with courage and strength.

I also popped into the Eden Hills brigade on Friday night, and I would like to share what Phil Wyatt, a brigade member, said when I asked him what firefighting meant to him. He said:

Being part of a very close team that I know I can always rely on for both emotional and physical support whenever it is needed.

Being able to make a difference to people who really need help. Having an integral role in my community.

Using my skills and experience as a paid fire fighter to train, mentor and assist volunteer fire fighters. Being so proud of what volunteer fire fighters are prepared to do and give up for often complete strangers.

Being able to give back to the Community, State and Country that welcomed me so warmly when I arrived from England. And of course being able to drive around in a big white fire truck making lots of noise and squirting water.

Our firefighters have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind, the discipline to train, and the selflessness to leap into the fray, running towards the battle while others are turning away.

It is the case, though, that in their line of duty our firefighters are witness to extreme circumstances, whether that is the very real threat of an advancing bushfire, approaching the scene of a serious car accident, assisting a resident who has had a tree fall on their home and lost everything, or even assisting SAAS and SAPOL in their duties. Some of these events stay with the firefighter long after the threat has passed. They can carry with them the horror for weeks, months, years and even a lifetime, and they need to know that support is available.

SAFECOM, who overarch our emergency services, have a team called SPAM, a stress prevention and management team who are there when our fireys need extra care. Our government understands the need to support our fireys, and we committed $1.9 million over four years to increase mental health and wellbeing support to more than 15,000 volunteer emergency service first responders, staff and, of course, their families who care so deeply for them. This commitment increased the vital resources to SPAM, facilitating the continuation of current programs and the provision of a substantial strategic approach to respond to the growing number of potentially traumatic and stressful incidents that our volunteer workforce attends.

SPAM is a 24/7 rostered helpline for emergency services volunteers and staff, including SAFECOM, CFS, SES and the VMR. These services include support after incidents, acting as a conduit between the EAP provider and the agencies, and proactive preventative measures. As I mentioned, our firefighters can face a complex range of mental health risk factors due to the nature of the work they do, and it is not just what they remember but it can also lead to things like anxiety, depression and PTSD.

Mental health issues in the emergency services can also have a range of impacts beyond the individual, including reduced productivity, increased conflict and detrimentally impacted interpersonal relationships. With the change in climate our firefighters will be faced with more incidents, larger fires, fires that are difficult to control, if not impossible, and they will need help to process what they experience. Supporting those who protect our community ensures that they have help when they need it and when they ask for it.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our firefighters, whether they are in the MFS, our national parks teams—who I had the honour of working beside last week as they conducted a controlled burn in the Belair National Park—or our Country Fire Service volunteers. People often say that firefighters give selflessly but, if you ask firefighters why they do what they do, many of them will tell you that what they are giving is nothing compared to the reward that they get from helping another human or an animal, or helping to protect our environment. It is that honour that is priceless.

This Saturday, Parliament House will be lit up with yellow and red lights to show our appreciation to our firefighters on International Firefighters' Day. If you know a firey, do not forget to say thank you, and if you are a firey, May the 4th be with you.

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (12:14): I rise to speak on this and, in doing so, I move an amendment. I move:

Remove paragraph (e) of the motion and replace with:

(e) recognises the importance of the mental health and wellbeing support provided by SAFECOM's Stress Prevention and Management (SPAM) program to more than 15,000 volunteer emergency service personnel and their families;

Insert:

(f) acknowledges the work of the Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation in seeking better support for CFS personnel and the facilities they utilise.

I thank the member for Waite for bringing this motion because, especially as a regional member, it is certainly very pertinent on a day when we have just recognised the end of the fire danger season. With the end of April comes the end of the fire danger season across our state, although with the dry conditions, the risk of fire is still there for us. Recognising that 4 May is International Firefighters' Day, we get an opportunity on that day to remember the great sacrifice and effort which firefighters make in our society in particular, and in the Australian environment with its extremes of heat and dry.

Everyone who has lived in South Australia for a period of time has a story of how they have been impacted by bushfire, whether it is personally, their lives, their homes or their families have been put at risk directly, or they know people or they are part of a state which has felt the challenges of the bushfire season and bushfire events throughout the years.

This motion which has been put forward by the member for Waite also acknowledges that we as a society need to show our support and our appreciation for firefighters who put themselves at risk and who work hard every day to protect our community. As I said, it is perfect timing and not just because 4 May is International Firefighters' Day but also as the fire danger season in South Australia has come to an end.

For my community, it is always something which we need to be very aware of. Across our community, everyone has different experiences of having to deal with bushfire and having the impact of bushfire in their life, no more than those who are dealing with it on the frontline. In recent years, there have been a number of different fires, but for me and for the community I represent in Flinders there was none more impactful than on 11 January 2005 when the Wangary bushfire tore its way across Eyre Peninsula, burning out over 77,000 hectares and in its wake taking nine lives including two lives of firefighters who were doing their bit to protect our community.

As has been noted in this place, can I recognise the sacrifice at that time of Trent Murnane and Neil (Pee Wee) Richardson. It was a time for my community which was certainly an eye-opener to the challenges that are faced but also to the way that community can bring themselves together, and those two gentlemen who died trying to protect their community were an example of firefighters all around South Australia, Australia, the world, who give of themselves to look after their community.

The 11 January 2005 Wangary bushfires extended for a long period of time after that. We had an event, nine years ago now, commemorating the 10-year anniversary. To underline point (d), which 'acknowledges that firefighters can experience traumatic events in the course of their duties' but also after their physical duties are finished, there are mental scars in communities and in people as individuals.

At the 10-year anniversary of the Wangary bushfires, my community came together to recognise that event but also to recognise that there were deep scars that were not healed over, and it is coming on nearly 20 years. It is hard to believe that it is nearly 20 years since those bushfires and there are still people who well and truly carry a mental scar and will continue to do so as their lives progress.

Some of the things that our fireys and our communities witness when responding to incidents and to fires can be quite traumatic and have long-lasting effects, such as PTSD. Sadly, one of those traumatic events involved losing a colleague, which was experienced by my community and has been experienced before and subsequently by communities in South Australia.

According to the CFS Promotions Unit, there have been 16 South Australian firefighters who have died in the line of duty, while another eight people have died in assisting to combat a fire. It is real. The power of fire is one that we can try to control but, ultimately, we do our best to quell rather than control. It is certainly front of mind.

Even at the end of the fire danger season, just in the past week, there has been a fire incident in my community, just a bit west from where I live. The community came together on Sunday to put this fire out: it was CFS units, it was aerial support and it was farm fire units. It was the end of April, so fire danger season is certainly one that can potentially take over half the year, especially for those of us in regional communities.

It was with great pleasure that, in recent weeks, the shadow minister and I had the opportunity to meet with the region 6 CFS headquarters representatives. I would like to give a shout-out to Stephen Boucher and the team there. Stephen started just recently in that role. Because of where we have to live and work, the region 6 team works together very closely: the CFS work closely with the MFS, the SES and the volunteers. They do an outstanding job in my community.

The facility that is there in Port Lincoln, at region 6, and the people who are there, are so important in protecting our community not just in Port Lincoln but all around the whole of Eyre Peninsula. They are so important. To the team at region 6, I would like to say that it was a pleasure to be able visit, to see the facilities and to see the equipment but also to hear the stories of where there are shortcomings within those facilities and the equipment on Eyre Peninsula.

The comparatively small amount that we as decision-makers can invest into those communities is repaid astronomically by the amount of volunteer hours that are put in by our CFS members and our community members. As part of this motion, I would like to recognise the volunteer hours put in by people to protect their community from bushfire over such a long period—the hours put in and the sacrifice that is made. As has already been mentioned, it is so rewarding to be part of a community which works together for positive outcomes for our community safety. There are none in the state who do it better than those at region 6.

The amendment that I have put also recognises the importance of the work that the parliamentary committee is doing in seeking better support for CFS personnel and the facilities they utilise. As I said, the discussions that I as a local member have—and I know other local members have, especially regional members—with constituents and CFS volunteers all around the state continue to underline the fact that we need to be investing in new trucks, new facilities and new capabilities to make sure that, in an ever-changing world, we are equipping our volunteers and our paid staff as best we can to enable them to protect our community the best they can.

It is so important that we properly support our CFS and MFS personnel and ensure that they have adequate facilities and assets. The work that the Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation is doing is really important in being able to hear from those volunteers and members of the CFS on the ground about what the true state of affairs is. We as decision-makers need to listen and to learn. In closing, I commend the amendment to the motion and once again thank the member for bringing the motion to this place.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (12:24): I would like to speak in support of this motion and thank the member for bringing it before the house. As mentioned, 4 May marks St Florian's Day, also known as International Firefighters' Day. St Florian is the patron saint of firefighters. He lived between 250 and 304AD. St Florian was a high-ranking Roman army officer in the Roman province of Noricum. His superiors said that he was good with people, a real problem solver and a dedicated hard worker, which sounds like our firefighters and other emergency services personnel. Interestingly, St Florian died for his Christian faith, making him a martyr and elevating him to the patron of all things in the prevention of danger from fire.

This day is an important day to recognise the contribution made predominantly by firefighters but also, as the member for Flinders said, by other people who work together in our communities to protect us. I also acknowledge not only the Metropolitan Fire Service members but also the Country Fire Service, people who work for the South Australian Ambulance Service, the SES, which is really important, and also SAPOL. The reality is that, when something happens, all these people, no matter which uniform they wear, work together for the protection and safety of our community. I acknowledge them as part of this day.

It is important that, if we celebrate the work of firefighters, we also celebrate and acknowledge the work undertaken by these other service personnel. The reality is that none of them could do the whole job by themselves. When there is an incident, you will find at least two, three or four of the services working together very closely to make sure that the necessary resources and skills are available to protect our community.

That is because a whole range of disasters occur in our community. We have house fires, bushfires, wind, rain and damage, which the SES attend, but again in conjunction with the police and the Metropolitan Fire Service, and the ambulance may be required. Motor vehicle accidents: police go to accidents, as do ambulance people, but often firefighters do too, whether the MFS in the metro area or the Country Fire Service people in the country and regional areas. All these services work together. They all work together to protect our community.

An important part of this day is acknowledging the importance of prevention. I understand, in terms of St Florian, that many miracles of healing are attributed to his intercession, and he is invoked as a powerful protector in danger from fire, floods and against drowning. Even St Florian's Day itself acknowledges the contribution of different people because of the various disasters that can occur in our community.

With the increasing influence of climate change—increasing floods, for example, to famine and a whole range of things in our communities—all our emergency services, both paid and volunteer, work together. In honouring this day, I also pay tribute to all those services I have mentioned and thank them for their service in my community. I also thank those located in my electorate. We have the Dalkeith CFS, the Gawler Metropolitan Fire Service, the Gawler ambulance service and the Gawler police station and very soon we will have our very own SES unit.

I was pleased to hear that the Public Works Committee approved just this week the expenditure of a smidgen under $5 million for an SES unit in Gawler. It was an election commitment made by the then Labor Party in opposition and delivered in government. The idea was mooted some years ago, going back to 2015-16, by John Lawrence, who was then involved with the Salisbury SES, and John has been a strong supporter of this unit for Gawler. It was originally mooted to be a satellite station to be run from Salisbury, but since then we have upgraded the facility to be a full SES unit for the region.

That is also reflecting the reality of growth in our area. Gawler, Roseworthy and Angle Vale are growing, and Concordia will be off the ground shortly. All of those communities mean that we need more resources to protect and save our community.

One of the important things about the new SES unit, apart from the fact it is going to be in Gawler, it is going to be built in a way that it can act as an incident unit. In other words, if there is a major incident in the region, whether it is fire or flooding, this unit will be able to house a whole incident team so that the event can be managed from that site.

It is good to see the SES and other emergency services units looking ahead at what may come up and working to make sure we have the resources and that those resources are available and can be managed in the region. With those comments, I would like to again pay tribute to the emergency services workers in my region, particularly on this this day to mark St Florian's Day, and thank them for their service.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:30): I also rise in support of the motion and want to thank the member for Waite for bringing it to this place. I think it is very important that we stop at times like this and acknowledge and thank the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect us and our communities.

Their impact obviously goes much beyond just fighting fires. They are first responders in emergencies, which comes with its own heavy toll, particularly the need for ongoing support. Once people have seen trauma and experienced it, it is very important that we have those support mechanisms behind them. Not only do they rescue people from accidents but natural disasters and other hazardous situations that people forget about. In terms of exposure to different chemicals or unknown situations, it becomes quite a dangerous occupation.

I also want to thank our local members who provide education and support. There are a lot of programs that I have been involved in around road safety and educating young people about the dangers and responsibilities of driving and what can go wrong.

My association with our local MFS dates back to when I first became a member, in fact even before that, in 2014. Our local MFS station, which was established in 1922 and began providing MFS protection for our city, was only staffed during business hours. A retained crew that operated out of hours supported the day crew.

What we were able to do was find the data that backed up a push to have our operations extended to seven days a week. What we found was that in Mount Gambier there were 20 facilities classified as major risk, including major timber mills and milling operations, which operated around the clock and housed significant amounts of flammable material, as you can imagine, being in the South-East, where there are a lot of forests and milling going on there. Together with the MFS staff, we lobbied the emergency services minister over a period of three years before successfully achieving a seven-day staffing roster, which was implemented in our station in 2019.

Since that time, our city has been diligently serviced by full-time firefighters, again backed up by retained firefighters after hours, who also work in conjunction with our voluntary Country Fire Service (CFS). This collaborative approach is essential for our regional location because we are a fair way away from any other major support network, and it is certainly a very long way from Adelaide.

It was put to the test just last month, which saw the unfortunate situation of two large house fires occurring in separate locations in Mount Gambier. On both occasions, a combination of our metropolitan and country fire services were on site within five minutes of the initial call for both fires, and they were brought under control without any damage to surrounding buildings, which is an excellent outcome. We are in a fortunate position that our MFS is supported; however, we cannot let that lead to complacency in ensuring the service is fully equipped and staffed. This is the issue that we are working on at the moment.

The Mount Gambier fire station, MFS, should be staffed by 12 full-time firefighters; however, we are currently only serviced by eight. I have had recent discussions with Minister Szakacs, as well as the new minister, Minister Cregan, and I am pleased to report that meetings are in place for next Thursday with the MFS chief. We need to get those full-time positions implemented and be proactive in our pursuits.

The other issue that does get brought to my attention from time to time is second-hand equipment. The MFS in Mount Gambier services a large region, yet seems to get the second-hand equipment from other stations around South Australia, so that is also an issue that we want to be looking at.

We must not forget that, as has been highlighted already, our firefighters are constantly placed in high-pressure and traumatic situations. It is vital that we provide them with the necessary resources, training and support to cope with the physical and emotional toll of their work. This includes access to mental health services, adequate staffing levels, up-to-date equipment, and ongoing professional development. I would like to thank the Malinauskas government for their investment in mental health support for our volunteer emergency services personnel by increasing the resources of Stress Prevention and Management.

In my electorate alone we have 15 Country Fire Service units, all staffed by volunteers. They perform a crucial role in protecting rural areas in times of emergency, particularly during the bushfire season, as well as providing assistance to the MFS when required. Again, we have seen a $2 million investment from the Malinauskas government into fire technology that supports our CFS, and I want to acknowledge that. These technologies include satellite detection, remotely operated cameras, as well as fire tower upgrades, which provide comfort and early detection, I suppose, for fires. I have seen them in operation where the camera will automatically pick up smoke in its very early phase and send an alert. Somebody who is monitoring that camera can then zoom in and, of course, then take appropriate action.

On top of that, the increased funding that the government has provided for aerial appliances—i.e. planes and the Elvis helicopter to be based in Mount Gambier during high fire danger periods—is certainly greatly appreciated, as is also the upgrade to our CFS facilities. Our Yahl CFS facility was a little tin shed that barely fit the fire truck. Due to initial work by the Marshall Liberal government, after years of lobbying by Graham Lamond and the team at Yahl CFS, it was a pleasure last year to be at the opening of the new facility, which is about four times bigger, has a smoko area or a kitchen area in there, as well as proper layouts for their equipment. That investment has been greatly appreciated.

I really want to thank Adrian Puust, who is the MFS manager, and Darren McPhail and Phil Wood, who do a great job of coordinating our local MFS facility. That was really on display in January 2022 when the Crater Lakes area of the Valley Lakes caught on fire and it took five days to bring it under control. That was where we really saw SAPOL, CFS, MFS and council all coordinating the response effort that included, obviously, road closures but also helicopters dropping water, fire bombers dropping water, CFS protecting part of the Valley Lakes area where there are homes and the MFS fighting the fire on another front.

It was a real credit to all of those involved in that incident. We saw this fantastic collaboration of all our services coming together. I want to really thank all our firefighters, who do put their lives on the line to keep our community safe. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart) (12:40): I would also like to say a few words about our firefighters across not only metropolitan areas but also regional areas in particular. Most people here have already spoken in this regard, and I think everybody is supportive of the volunteers that we do have across all of our communities across all of South Australia.

One of the things that I want to highlight is that we can have all the best equipment out there. I had the opportunity last Sunday, I think it was, to represent the new minister at the new shed for firefighting at Terowie. I took the opportunity to see not only the new shed but also the latest equipment there. As the member for Mount Gambier has indicated, there is new technology. A lot of the equipment is first class these days, and we need to have that because these people risk their lives going out into the community to fight fires and the outbreak of fires.

We have also seen quite a bit in the media in the last couple of years about firebugs starting fires. I think that those people really need to take heed of what they are doing, because they are not only creating an opportunity for damage to equipment and houses but also to the lives of those volunteers.

In Port Pirie we have the MFS. We are very, very grateful for the MFS, and that is fully staffed at the moment. I would like to see a lot more locals retained there, but when they apply for it they do not seem to get the nomination. But certainly, we have the MFS there and it is fully staffed, and I thank the governments over all the years for maintaining that service in Port Pirie.

But across the other regional areas of Stuart, there are a lot of areas out there that are all volunteers. I had the opportunity, as I said, last Sunday to represent the new minister, Minister Cregan, at Terowie. While Terowie is a very small community, there must have been 70 people who turned up for the opening of that shed. One of the things that was brought to my attention was how close and how passionate these communities are about those volunteers. I will relay an incident going back many years ago. CFS, MFS, SES and others all have to go out not only to fight fires—CFS and MFS in particular—but they also take the opportunity to combine some of their services with SES and other organisations.

From a community point of view in regional areas, we very much understand and know a lot of the people who have to go out. Fires are one issue. When those volunteers go out to fight a fire, they have to also leave their employment opportunities, especially in regional areas. Some of the businesses there are really struggling. They let those people go, and whether they get paid is up to the discretion of the employer.

When these people go out, we have seen over some years that there have been some fatalities. Some volunteers have been severely hurt and there have been a couple of incidents where a person may have been fatally injured in fighting a fire for somebody else. The trauma of those families when those volunteers and their loved ones go out—it is always going through their mind, 'Are they going to actually come home in one piece? Are they going to come home in a fit state, with their mind?'

I relay the situation of when my late wife was killed many years ago, just before Christmas. CFS, MFS, and other emergency services went out there and that was an impact on their health and wellbeing for many, many years to come. Even though that was many years ago, people still remember that tragedy many years afterwards. I do not think that is something that communities, especially in non-regional or non-rural areas, really understand. They see somebody go out to a fire, or an accident or whatever it may be, and they are doing a lot of jobs out there and we may take that for granted and not understand the trauma that may be in their minds forever and ever later on.

The latest technology and a lot of the equipment out there is first-class. The truck at Terowie was four years old but the latest technology in there is protecting those people who are inside the vehicle also from the fire itself by the way that the covers come down in the front. Also, the fact is they are able to fight a fire from inside the vehicle itself, so they can actually direct the water gun to those particular locations.

The other thing that we also have to understand is that governments of the day, whoever they may be, have to actually continue to provide those services out there. I know there is a cost factor but if we had to pay those people out there in the regional areas to do this, no matter who it is, they would never be able to afford to have those people in those smaller communities. These people there are unpaid, they are very gratefully acknowledged in our communities, but, certainly, they have become heroes of the areas out there. The other thing, which is not in my electorate, but at Koolunga there was a—

Mr Ellis interjecting:

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: It is in yours? It is in mine? I do not think so.

Mr Ellis interjecting:

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: No, it is not mine. It is in the seat of the member for Narungga. I had a call and he would have had a call about this. I think the shed is too small for the new equipment there. We do have new equipment going out there, the latest equipment. At the end of the day, we need to make certain that the sheds themselves are there to protect and house that equipment. I know the member for Narungga is looking at that opportunity there.

I want to thank the member for bringing this notice of motion to the parliament today. I am very sure that everybody on this side and across both sides of the chamber today will be fully supportive of this and the acknowledgement of it. I congratulate the government for getting more money out there and providing services there for more stress-related issues.

When you are going out there, you are full of adrenaline and you understand you are out there doing a job, but it is what happens afterwards, and it is not only the firefighters or the volunteers themselves but also the families and the wives and partners and also, very importantly, the children of those volunteers. We need to make certain we look after them because that may not have an impact straightaway but it has an impact later on in life, so we must ensure that. Certainly, I thank the member for bringing this notice of motion to the chamber and hopefully everybody supports it.

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (12:47): I rise in quick endorsement for this motion and congratulate the house on its seemingly unanimous support for it. There is no doubt that we very much need to show our support and appreciation for those firefighters who do such a wonderful job in keeping us safe. It can be a thankless task, so for us to take the time here to thank them I think is time well spent. Well done to the parliament and well done to the member for Waite for bringing the motion to the house.

As the motion does note, it is an incredibly dangerous thing that these people do. I cast my mind back immediately to the fires in 2020 at Edithburgh and Yorketown that managed to knock over 11 homes and hurt 33 people and burn some 5,000 hectares of farmland. I remember how close that came to the township of Edithburgh. We visited with the then premier not that long after that fire occurred and there were genuinely singe marks on the fences of the homes on the edge of the township of Edithburgh.

It was a really scary thing to see and I can only imagine what the people who lived in those homes must have felt as that fire approached, but it makes all the more remarkable the efforts those volunteers went to to keep those homes from burning down. The fact that it was only singe marks and not a knocked-over fence or a lost home is a truly remarkable thing. It was wonderful to see the work that those people had done and to show them some appreciation on that occasion for that work. It was a massive fire, and a scary thing for the lower southern Yorke Peninsula community to have to go through, but one that they have come out the other side of.

Only in March this year, so a month or two ago, the Red Cross bushfire recovery program was shut down at Yorketown. It has been operating for the past four years to try to help that community bounce back from that fire, and only in March this year it finally reached the end of its useful life. So, a quick thank you to Deb Richardson who led that program from the start, and was there for the initial days of it, and then I think thereafter it moved on to Kate Martin. They have done a wonderful job building that community back. It is good to see. The community itself has been the beneficiary of some bushfire grants that have now been expended and things built. The local sporting club now has new lights, making it safer for a helicopter to land or evacuate people if needed.

The clubrooms at the sporting club have now been fitted out to a point where they can become a refuge centre for people who need it. If they ever have another situation where there is a fire burning down at Edithburgh, they will have that facility to go to where they can be safe and it is well lit. It has a kitchen, bathroom, shower and all those sorts of things. So those bushfire grants has been money well spent. I have talked to the community group recently and they have an opening planned in the coming months. It will be wonderful to get down there and see how it is all going and how that facility has been upgraded.

They do have one problem before them, and that is that there was a slight cost overrun with the passage of time that has eventuated and left them a little short of money. We have written to the Minister for Energy and Mining to see if he is willing to make a discretionary allocation towards covering the costs of the upgraded power that is required to now make these lights work and to ensure that this new refuge centre is operational, workable and those sorts of things. They have been slugged with a significant bill to upgrade that power substation, one that they did not foresee coming, and we hope that we can find the money from somewhere to finish that so that it is all compliant and they can use that facility as intended.

Those works are wonderful and those grants have done a wonderful job in making sure the community bounces back. It is good to see how they have rebounded. Hopefully, it starts raining soon and they can get a crop in the ground and something will start growing down there. That would be even better—it would be markedly different. I just cast my mind back to when we went down there and helped BlazeAid out to build the fences. The desolation and the kilometres and kilometres with nothing growing on it, no fences and dust blowing around everywhere, was truly a sight to see.

I still get people stopping me; in fact, I had someone stop me in the street the other day and say, 'I remember you from BlazeAid.' I said, 'Don't tell anyone you saw me doing manual labour otherwise I might get dragged into doing it again.' I had blisters on my hands almost immediately, such is the preciousness of the pads that I am working with. Anyhow, leave that by the by.

I want to take a quick opportunity to outline to the house some of the priorities in our electorate coming up for firefighters. I know that there is an imminent CFS-SES combined shed coming up at Maitland and that will be a tremendous opportunity for that brigade. It is a really substandard set-up that the Maitland CFS and SES are operating out of currently, and to combine those two sheds makes sense as a cost-efficiency method. It will be wonderful to see that start to rise up out of the ground.

In the same vein, I would love to see the same thing happen at Port Broughton. Port Broughton CFS currently shares its shed with the council. On one side of a temporary wall you have the mower the council uses to mow the footy oval, and on the other side of the shed you have a CFS truck that is used to save lives. I do not think that is a situation that can continue. I have been writing about it for six years, but here is hoping we can finally get some traction on that and they can move out of the council shed ideally to a combined facility like the one that is happening at Maitland with the SES and a bit more fit for purpose. It will make it a little bit easier on those volunteers who do such a wonderful job at Port Broughton and in the surrounding communities.

The more help that we can give these volunteers the better. There are a number of other CFS stations that could do with upgrades—Yorketown for one. I have been out there with Angas McEvoy and had a chat to him about the ways that we can improve that station. At the least, we are looking forward to seeing the Maitland CFS shed start and hopefully we can get some work done on the Port Broughton one. I look forward to working with this new minister to make that happen.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN (Kavel—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Special Minister of State) (12:53): I acknowledge the member for Waite and thank her for bringing this motion before the house. She is, as is known in this place, a volunteer firefighter herself, as are other members, and I appreciate her service as does her community of the Upper Sturt brigade.

International Firefighters' Day, as has earlier been remarked, is observed each year on 4 May. This day is also known as St Florian's Day, named after the patron saint of firefighters. The day does provide us with an opportunity to recognise and reflect on the selfless dedication, bravery and contribution that firefighters from the Metropolitan Fire Service and the Country Fire Service have made and continue to make to all of our communities throughout the state.

Speaking personally, I am deeply grateful to all the brigades throughout Kavel and the Hills. In the course of the Cudlee Creek bushfire, the worst natural disaster in my community since Ash Wednesday, the lives of many firefighters were at risk and they were actively working for many, many days to defend the lives of others in our community and, of course, many dwellings.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Port Adelaide with the member for Cheltenham, the former minister, to recognise the 100th anniversary of the fire on board the SS City of Singapore. It was the worst ship fire in Australia's history and a very significant—in fact the worst—disaster for metropolitan firefighters in South Australia. Three firefighters lost their lives responding to this emergency.

When they arrived at the site of the burning ship, they entered the ship immediately. Efforts were made to extinguish an early blaze that had been detected by ship's officers. They later remained on deck, cooling the deck with hand lines, and in the course of the evening there was the ignition of other flammable materials and gases in the hold of the ship, causing the death of three firefighters and injuring 11 others.

It would, I am quite sure, have been a horrific scene, but what must also be remembered is that the firefighters attending that scene entered the ship knowing the risks that they were facing and would have been quite aware throughout the time they were aboard that every moment they remained with that ship their lives were at risk. Nevertheless, showing extraordinary bravery they continued to serve the people of South Australia by using every effort, and the technology that was then available, to try to extinguish that blaze.

In closing, acknowledging the time, can I say that this is a remarkable year in the history of the Country Fire Service. Not a single dwelling has been lost to bushfire in the course of this season. That is a testament to the great skill and ongoing dedication of every CFS volunteer. Each week, these volunteers parade and improve their skills for our benefit quietly in our communities, so that when we need them they will be ready. I have seen myself, as I earlier remarked, the benefit of that skill, experience, dedication and true courage when it was, in fact, in my community very badly needed.

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (12:57): I also rise to support the amended motion. It is so important that we have people in the community out there defending the assets and the people of our community. Firefighters, whether they be paid staff through the MFS or volunteers at the CFS, all do a wonderful job in supporting our communities.

Over my life, living on a farm and being a farmer, we have had many incidents where we have had fires affect our properties. There are half a dozen or so that I can remember quite clearly where we have lost some of our pasture and fencing. A large fire went through Mount Compass in the 1990s, which came through our place. We lost a reasonable amount of silage that was burnt, as well as a fair amount of fencing.

Interestingly, we also had the local council graders come in and assist. They graded firebreaks through the property. Some of them just kept grading through the smoke. In the deep smoke, they could not see where they were going. One of the trenches that they dug was about six feet deep, and we had to request that they come back and fill it back in afterwards. Certainly, people do some wonderful work in defending the fires out there when they do start.

It is amazing in my electorate to see the volunteers across the place as well. We have CFS stations at Currency Creek, Goolwa, Middleton, Port Elliot, Hindmarsh Valley, Back Valley, Waitpinga and Mount Compass. I think I have covered them all in the electorate; I do not think I have forgotten any. They are a wonderful group of people.

We also have the MFS in Victor Harbor itself. The relationship between the CFS and the MFS in the region is fantastic as well. They work well together. They make sure that they use their skills when needed, whether it be a building fire or other. Sometimes the MFS will leave the town boundaries and sometimes the CFS will come in and fight fires around the Bluff, for example, which is within the town boundaries. It is a great working relationship.

Debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.

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