Page 2256 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 4 August 2021
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and planning of operational support respectively. This liaison includes ADF standing membership on the ESA Joint Operations Coordination Group, which brings together all of ACT government and associated partners who may work together during the preparedness or response to a major emergency in the ACT.
As a result of the longstanding relationship, the ADF personnel deployed to the ACT were able to have an almost immediate impact in assisting our community during the 2019-20 bushfires. Some of the tasks that the ADF assisted in included but were not limited to: fireground surveillance, doorknocking, personnel transport, bus and helicopter, provision of accommodation for interstate crews including catering at ADFA, provision of heavy plant and other equipment along with trained operators, incident management team, emergency coordination centre and planning support, and hand crews for development of helipads and indirect fire attack.
The excellent work of all services, including the ADF, minimised the impact of these fires and ensured there was no loss of life as a result of the bushfires that surrounded the ACT. The ACT government, and in particular the ESA, has undertaken an extensive lessons-learned program with the ADF. These lessons identified what happened nationally in the 2019-20 bushfire season, including the working relationship with the ADF and the extensive use of aerial assets nationally.
The ESA will continue to maintain and develop their relationship with the ADF so that they can understand each other’s requirements, allowing better utilisation of the ADF in the future. In this regard, the ESA has exchanged correspondence with the Deputy Chief of Army to facilitate further joint training programs, including incident management training and exercise training. The ongoing relationship with the ADF also extends to AFAC. Significant work has been undertaken by AFAC and ADF to engage across jurisdictions nationally, including the exchange of information and training programs.
The 2019-20 bushfire season saw unprecedented fire activity that heavily impacted large areas along the east coast of Australia. New South Wales fires near the ACT and fires within the ACT were the toughest our region has had to contend with since 2003. A timely coordination and response from all areas across the ACT government, with assistance from other jurisdictions, resulted in no loss of life or residences due to the fires.
A number of reviews and inquiries have been conducted in relation to the 2019-20 season, all with the aim of making improvements for future seasons. Given the history of damaging bushfires and severe storms in the ACT, and recent changes in climate that have further contributed to the threat of flooding and grassfire in the region, the ESA are well aware of the importance of ensuring that they take the best possible approach to preparing for bushfire and storm threats. This includes training and coordination activities conducted with New South Wales and commonwealth agencies.
In closing, I would like to take this opportunity once again to commend all emergency service volunteers and staff across government for their continued protection of our community. Canberra remains one of the safest cities in the world because of their hard work. I present the following paper:
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