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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-07-22 Daily Xml
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STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Emergency Services a question about the State Emergency Service.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Budget allocations to the State Emergency Service have been basically static over the past four financial years, which means that the service has been the subject of real funding cuts. For example, the 2008-09 financial year net cost for services of $10.9 million is 4 per cent lower than the $11.4 million allocation in 2005-06, four financial years ago.

Over the same period the government's spending on SAFECOM has increased by 30 per cent to $14.3 million. The cut to the SES has been deeper when the SES's activities are taken into account. The budget papers indicate that the workload of the SES, as expressed by total operational hours of incidents, has more than doubled over the past three years. This year SES volunteers are expected to donate 150,000 operational hours.

The State Emergency Service Volunteers Association continues to express its concerns and is holding discussions with the SES about the 2008-09 budget.

In the recent July edition of the SES Frontline magazine, the executive officer of the association was quoted as saying:

Funding for SES appears to be static, yet demands continue to increase. South Australia has not had an event such as the Newcastle disaster for government to recognise the cost implications caused by flood and storm damage. Funding in South Australia needs to increase urgently.

My questions for the minister are:

1. Does the government consider that climate change is impacting on the demand for services of the State Emergency Service?

2. Why is the government cutting funds to the SES in real terms, in light of the increased risk and increased activity?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:20): I thank the honourable member for his question. First, I would place on the record, as I am sure everybody in the chamber would agree, that the SES does a marvellous job for us and the community of South Australia. Indeed, we certainly could not achieve what we want to achieve with our state emergency services without the assistance of the SES and, in particular, the wonderful 1,800 SES volunteers.

The state government has not cut the budget of the SES. In the 2008-09 budget, it is almost $12.2 million, with a capital program of $2.84 million. From year to year the capital program will, of course, vary. The SES capital budget in 2007-08 totalled $3.1 million. So, as I said, from year to year that capital budget will vary. In 2007-08, it included building works, appliance and vessel replacement, and we saw such amounts of money as $2.25 million for the construction and refurbishment of buildings.

We know that in the past financial year we had eight units that were completed and handed over to the SES. In this financial year we will see three very important capital works taking place: Mount Gambier, Tea Tree Gully and Port Lincoln (Port Lincoln with a value of over $1 million). So, the variation that we often see in the budget will depend on what capital works are happening in that particular year.

The SES, like the CFS prior to the emergency services levy, of course, came from a very low base, out of consolidated revenue. At the moment the amounts of money that we do spend on the CFS, the SES and the MFS is about half-half: half coming out of the emergency services levy and the other half coming out of consolidated revenue from the government.

I point out that, of course, we were coming from a low base before the emergency services levy. As time goes on we will see more and more units being built and completed, and we will see more and more appliances. The SES has over 230 vehicles, including specialist communication vehicles and vessels. We have a replacement policy in relation to vehicles and we have a new buildings program.

I think it would be totally dishonest for the honourable member to say that we do not care about our SES, because at no other time in the history of this state have our emergency services been so well resourced and equipped. I do appreciate, of course, that as time goes on, and at different times, depending on the weather conditions, its workload will increase, and clearly that is something that we will take into account for any future budget.

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