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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-06 Daily Xml
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South Australian Bushfires

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:37): I rise to speak on the disturbing information shared with me in the wake of the tragic bushfires which destroyed more than half of Kangaroo Island, devastating its economy and causing enormous losses and heartbreak. There is underlying anger and frustration in some quarters. I have no desire to play the blame game or point the finger; however, out of any catastrophic event, lessons do emerge, and it is no different here.

I went to Kangaroo Island to meet with locals who wanted to express their very serious concerns and views. Contrary to comments made yesterday by the Treasurer, my information comes from very credible, reliable and impeccable sources who trusted me with their information, not the hearsay we got from him. They complained about management strategies deployed in these very high-risk areas, some of which I shall now outline.

The first complaint was about government efficiencies or budget cuts that reduce the number of prescribed burn-offs in conservation parks. These are crucial in controlling the ticking time bombs of high fuel loads; and there were ample warnings they say were not heeded. Most alarming was that not all recommendations in fire management plans for Flinders Chase were implemented because the responsible department did not want to spoil the look of the park's entrance for tourists. The already meagre prescribed burn budget had been further slashed by 60 per cent, a saving of just a few thousand dollars. Well, there is nothing for tourists to see there now but an ash-covered ecological cemetery as far as the eye can see. In dollar terms, the damage is incalculable. Why was this allowed to happen?

Other issues included the availability and number of planes dedicated to fighting the fires, particularly the most destructive, known as the Ravine; restrictions on the use of sea water and types of fire retardant; the responsibility of local councils maintaining roadside vegetation; and development plans for property setbacks which made it difficult for firefighters to see houses, particularly in the Adelaide Hills. Other complaints centred around time-critical delays in response times between on-the-ground firefighting crews, earthmoving contractors and incident command management, and other laws that may have obstructed plan fire management strategies. There is more, but I will leave that for another day.

The one constant that emerged was about the chain of command and that the views, knowledge and expertise of those on the ground were overlooked or overruled by central command in Adelaide. There were far too many layers of bureaucracy interfering. I was disturbed to hear from Dave Halloran, a farmer with decades of experience in fire spotting from the air, that when the Ravine fire, which consumed Flinders Chase National Park and Hanson Bay, was first reported it was dismissed as not a priority because resources were required at the nearby Duncan blaze.

Mr Halloran and a CFS commander from Parndana had viewed the Ravine fire from the air very early on 30 December when it was the size of a football field. His son Marcus, a contracted earthmover, had earlier become aware that lightning sparked the blaze and he was ready to fight the fire at first light. He told me of his utter frustration at being retasked while waiting hours to get permission to move in and carve an urgent containment line with his bulldozer. By the time it came it was far too late. Fire does not wait for decisions to be made. Rapid responses are required. As Mr Halloran senior tellingly puts it, fire is a good servant but a bad master.

Another credible source told me of other measures either ignored or delayed, including retardant drops and logical backburns, which took hours to get approved. There are not enough prescribed burns being carried out in our conservation parks. Who is making these daft calls? What did come through loud and clear was that one dedicated agency needs to take full control when such an emergency is declared. That agency should be the CFS.

There is now a federal royal commission and another investigation by our state government, to be headed by former Federal Police chief Mick Keelty. We will also see an inquest here into the three tragic deaths. I have seen Mr Keelty's terms of reference. I remain sceptical that he can get to the bottom of things. I note there is no mention of reviewing various environmental acts. I am also concerned that he is only taking written submissions. People who have lost everything do not have time to sit down and write reports. There is no provision for evidence to be taken under privilege, which is a disincentive for whistleblowers to come forward. In the meantime, we hope these great communities will again rise from the ashes and be more resilient than ever.

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