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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-26 Daily Xml
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STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. What program has the State Emergency Service undertaken to train and educate people in the community on disaster management—especially with regard to schoolchildren and ethnic communities?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for his important question. The State Emergency Service has been active throughout the past 15 years in the delivery of disaster management and emergency awareness training to the broad range of emergency services, government departments, non-government organisations and other involved agencies. This program has also included the delivery of special interest training and education sessions to school students at all levels of the education system.

The State Emergency Service management training officer, Mr Allan McDougall, is employed by the SES with the specific role of delivering disaster management training. That officer works very closely with all other services and agencies active in the emergency management arena and delivers a very broad range of training to all manner of agencies and groups.

In addition to the existing delivery programs for disaster management training, there is an increased emphasis on engaging culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, including indigenous communities, in this type of training.

Recent significant projects have included the delivery of awareness and education programs to CALD communities in the flood and bushfire prone Virginia area, where a strong lead has been taken in ensuring that safety information and messages are distributed throughout the community, regardless of the perceived cultural or ethnic barriers. Late last year, awareness and educational material was also presented by the Multicultural Association of South Australia at Murray Bridge to groups of people from Chinese and Philippine ethnic backgrounds.

In concert with the Department of Education and Children's Services, primary schools in high risk areas are being identified, with the aim of delivering education regarding flood and weather hazards. The strategy is to utilise primary schoolchildren as 'Trojan horses' to deliver public safety messages to the rest of their families.

The SES, working in close concert with the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) and other emergency services and emergency management agencies, is developing new programs and initiatives in public education and awareness. These new initiatives will ensure that critical information is provided to all South Australians, regardless of cultural and geographic placement differences.

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