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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4578 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

I have no idea whether there were any comments made to the Chief Fire Control Officer concerning the holding of the Rally of Canberra or, indeed, as I have just been advised, the fireworks display on the shores of Lake Tuggeranong on Sunday by the Tuggeranong community festival, which also, I gather, probably would not have occurred but for the lifting of the total fire ban. Those recreational issues are very much secondary to the need to protect the ACT from fire. I have no doubt at all that the officers concerned who made those decisions made the decisions about the time to apply or to lift the fire ban on the basis of what was in the best interests of that issue and that issue alone.

Ms Horodny, if you have any evidence that that was not the case, other than the suspicion of some people that the FAI rally was held on a certain day and the ban was lifted the day before and therefore there must have been some connection, then I think you should bring it forward. If officers made that decision in that way, for improper reasons, then, of course, we should deal with that issue. But I have no evidence to suggest that that was the case.

MS HORODNY: I have a supplementary question. Minister, could you tell us what measures were taken during the FAI rally to enforce section 8 of the Bushfire Act, which prohibits the smoking of cigarettes in ACT forest plantations over the summer period, as I understand that the public were encouraged to come and watch the rally action in the Stromlo Forest? The period of exclusion is from October through to April of the following year.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, let me say that total fire bans are determined by the Chief Fire Control Officer and depend on such factors as temperature, wind, growth and availability of resources. As I said before, those sorts of decisions are made on the basis of those factors, rather than on the basis of what events are being held.

Ms Horodny: Which question are you answering?

MR HUMPHRIES: I am giving you information about the issue you have raised. You suggested to me that some other criteria were used. I am telling you which criteria were used to make that decision.

You also asked about what steps were taken to prevent smoking in and around this event. I understand that there was a total ban on smoking in the spectator viewing areas on both days of the rally. So, that was imposed. I do not know how well it was enforced; but it was certainly imposed. That step, I think, was reasonable to protect the forest in the circumstances of the rally.

Ms Horodny: We do not know how well it was enforced.

MR HUMPHRIES: We do not have any inspectors running around with little ashtrays, pushing them into people's faces; but we certainly did take it seriously as far as the ban on smoking was concerned. Mr Speaker, I think those steps were reasonable in the circumstances.

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