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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-14 Daily Xml
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COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, representing the Minister for Emergency Services, questions with regard to the Country Fire Service and the CFS website.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: Last weekend, a controlled burn-off in Portland, Victoria resulted in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region being blanketed in smoke. A constituent who lives at Meadows noticed the smoke when he awoke at 6am and tried to ascertain where the smoke originated. His neighbour, who is an active volunteer with the Country Fire Service, had no information about the smoke; nor did his CFS captain.

My constituent consulted the CFS website to investigate whether there was a fire in the region in order to determine whether he would need to make preparations on his property either to fight the fire or to evacuate. The CFS website merely stated that dozens of CFS staff had been called out for reported smoke.

It was not until 10.30am, when my constituent heard an announcement on the radio, that he learnt that the smoke was from the controlled burn-off in Victoria. The CFS website had no mention of this and, when my constituent contacted them to ask why this information had not been added to their website, he was informed that the website was used only for South Australian incidents. My questions are:

1. Was the CFS or MFS informed by the Victorian fire authority about the burn-off and, if so, when?

2. Given the resources wasted by the CFS sending out crews to investigate smoke, why was the information about the smoke not added to the website as a courtesy for those concerned about the smoke?

3. Was there a reason for the delay in informing CFS captains about the origins of the smoke?

4. Can the minister give an assurance that information will be more widely disseminated in future?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for his four very important questions regarding the CFS website and smoke from a controlled burn-off in Victoria. I undertake to take those questions to the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place and bring back a response.

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