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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-19 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Kangaroo Island Bushfire Response

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:18): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Human Services regarding emergency relief.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: On 23 December last year, Ms Priscilla Thomas was reportedly the first person to lose their home in the Kangaroo Island fires. The local member, the member for Mawson, directly contacted the minister to ask about support for Priscilla and others who became homeless from the fires. The member for Mawson was told by the minister that her office was too busy to email information and that it should be 'looked up on social media'.

On 23 January, Priscilla's family applied for a re-establishment grant of $10,000. The same day they also applied for support from the State Emergency Relief Fund. I am informed that as of today they have not received an acknowledgement, confirmation, approval or any form of response whatsoever. My questions for the minister are:

1. Given the seriousness of homelessness due to fire, is it appropriate to suggest to victims that they should 'look it up on social media' when they need help?

2. Why haven't families received any kind of response to grant applications and requests for support from the State Emergency Relief Fund?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:19): I thank the honourable member for his question. In relation to the specific individuals who lost their home, can I start by expressing our condolences to them and saying that support is available and has been available for some time.

I am a bit disappointed in the relaying of the particular conversation from the Leader of the Opposition, but it does give me an opportunity to express my concerns about the behaviour and the comments of the member for Mawson, who I think has behaved in a manner that is in stark contrast to every other MP who has had some involvement with bushfire-affected communities.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable Leader of the Opposition!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, please continue.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Thank you, Mr President. In relation to the conversation that I had with the member for Mawson, I can back it up by saying that I was aware that he had expressed concerns to various other members that he needed to be 'kept briefed' about what was happening with the fires and the like. My understanding is that the protocol, which he clearly does not understand, is that the Premier keeps the Leader of the Opposition briefed. The Leader of the Opposition has been kept well briefed on this matter, and if the member for Mawson—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! You will have your opportunity to ask a supplementary question in a minute. Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: The member for Mawson, if he needs to be kept in the loop as a member of the opposition, can obtain information from the Leader of the Opposition. I have had no such issue with any other member.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, please.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, enough. Enough! Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I can talk about this for the next 60 minutes, if you like. I will happily place on the record—

The PRESIDENT: Minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —the conversation that we had. I will go back to 20 December, when we had a fire break out at Angle Vale and Cudlee Creek.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: When I knew that we had issues at Angle Vale, I checked which electorates they were. I contacted the offices of Mr Jon Gee and Mr Tony Piccolo to give them my mobile phone number and alerted them to the fact that there was a relief centre at Gawler.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, sit down for a second. When the opposition is silent, the minister will continue and complete her answer so we can move on. Minister, please.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: We had an unprecedented number of fires that have affected South Australia, and things progressed very quickly in terms of the Kangaroo Island fire. Initially, it was within the Flinders Chase National Park. It wasn't until, I think, 3 January, when it had grown and destroyed properties. I did get some feedback via the member for Hurtle Vale, which she may characterise differently, but it was kind of like, 'Can you please just ring Leon, because he is really annoying the rest of us?' I did that. She sent me his mobile phone number. I telephoned him.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! You are wasting your own question time and the question time of the crossbench. Minister, please finish your answer.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: You started it.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I contacted the electorate offices, because clearly they were open on 20 December. I contacted the member for Mawson. I would have to say that he was fairly odious on the phone, rather petulant and demanding, wanting to be kept briefed. I advised him of the—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I advised him that a relief centre was available, that there were grants available to constituents. He asked me to email that information to his electorate office and I said, 'Well, nobody else has required that to be emailed to them. This information is actually in the newspaper, it's on social media. These are rapidly changing circumstances,' and that he can do what every other member has been able to do, which is find information, and if there is specific information that he is seeking that he doesn't have on the website, then he can telephone me at any stage. He now has my mobile phone number. I am not—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Hunter! Now that we have some silence, the minister will complete her answer so we can move on. Please complete your answer, minister.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I would like to take another half an hour if I may, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: No, minister. Please complete your answer so we can move on.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I hadn't had much to do with the member for Mawson before and I think I should be grateful for that fact.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: He is a petulant, small-minded person, in contrast to, I would have to say, the member for Mayo, who is from a different political persuasion, who has been cooperative and worked with us and stood side by side with us throughout this. At every opportunity, the member for Mawson has sought to politicise issues and not to work with the government—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —but has just been difficult—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —and been too lazy to look up information which is readily available.

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