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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 1 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 179 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

Did they underestimate the ability of the ranges fires to get down into the forest-enclosed suburbs, and did they underestimate the speed with which that might occur? Did we all underestimate that? Did they anticipate the firestorm potential worst case scenario that might impact on the urban fringe, were the weather factors to combine cruelly?

Perhaps they did not underestimate these issues at all. If that is the case, then these very serious issues need to be fully tested so that the community understands the harsh realities facing our emergency services, so we can get rid of all the damn rumours and test all of proposals or observations fully, without fear or favour.

What about the warning to residents? In the days or weeks prior to 18 January, had the residents of the frontline suburbs been advised in sufficient detail of the potential risk and what preparations needed to be taken to combat those conditions and on how to prepare for worst case scenario evacuations? Was that a factor, or is that a myth? In prior days, were the police advised of the worst case scenarios and advised to undertake contingency planning, or perhaps even rehearse methods of evacuation in those suburbs which might have been considered the most fire prone?

On 17 January the Emergency Service Bureau stated that they did not think there was any threat to the urban edge. That was in the Canberra Times on 17 January, D minus one. On 20 January the Emergency Services Bureau stated that the movement of the fire from the forest across the urban edge happened very quickly. That was on ABC PM on 20 January. There is a gap in appreciation-sadly, a stark one-that warrants investigation.

Let us have a look at the local advice. As fires raged through national parks to the west, Mr Val Jeffrey, who for the past 30 years had been warning that a catastrophic fire could hit Canberra, told his neighbours in Tharwa to prepare for the worst. As local fire brigade captain, Jeffrey states that he took matters into his own hands, independent of ACT fire authorities, and put into action, in advance, his own bushfire plan. He said on the 7.30 Report:

I took it upon myself to advise everybody that this was going to happen and giving them details of what prevention work they could do and advising them that there was no way in the world the special forces would be able to protect them because we'd be too overwhelmed.

So the rural resident all done their homework and their housework.

And as a result, in my area, our losses were very minimal.

He stated that he anticipated the disaster approaching the ACT and that he knew that he would not be able to depend on ACT units, which he assessed would be overwhelmed. I do not know whether this situation as painted by Mr Jeffrey is correct.

Mr Stanhope: It is not.

MR PRATT: Perhaps you are right, Chief Minister. Perhaps he is not right. But I do know that Mr Jeffrey has corresponded with authorities over a number of years and rung warning bells about the scope of a fire that might occur. That is on the record.

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