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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-03 Daily Xml
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FIRE SIRENS

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER (15:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Emergency Services a question about fire sirens.

Leave granted.

An honourable member: Every town should have one!

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER: Indeed; my colleague interjects as to the spirit of my question. Mr President, you would understand that, for many years, a fire siren in a country town was a vital method of informing people that there was a fire in the area. On days that are now considered to be catastrophic, most people stay inside; they draw the curtains and blinds and stay inside away from the extreme weather. A fire siren is a method of alerting people, who can then find out from which direction the fire is coming.

For a long period of time, fire sirens in small country towns were also used to alert people of other dangers or emergencies that may have been occurring in the town. Several years ago, in its wisdom, this government withdrew fire sirens from country towns, causing a great deal of anxiety. Along with a number of other state governments, it has now decided that fire sirens are quite a good idea after all and it will allow country towns to reinstate their fire sirens—except that the reinstatement is to be done at a cost to the CFS and, therefore, the community.

My information is that, in some cases, the cost of reinstalling the sirens (which are, in fact, still there and have simply been disabled) runs to tens of thousands of dollars, for which the local CFS (a voluntary body) will be responsible. Will the minister seek advice from the Minister for Emergency Services as to why this cost has been put on country towns and local CFS brigades when it was a decision of the government to remove this valuable service in the first place?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:04): Again, I acknowledge the Hon. Caroline Schaefer's contribution to and interest in these matters over a long period of time.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: In relation to CFS sirens, when the honourable member says it was a government decision, of course, the CFS makes these decisions in accordance with its own best interests. Governments act on the advice of the CFS in relation to these sorts of matters.

As someone who lives there, it was good to hear the siren tested, as it is at seven o'clock every Monday night, and it is reassuring. As someone who has lived in the Hills for many years, I always thought that the sirens had a very good part to play, and I am pleased to see that they are coming back. I will refer the question to the minister in another place and perhaps suggest that he correspond with the honourable member in relation to the matter.

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