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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2395 ..
MR PRATT
(continuing):Another concern is the compatibility of equipment so that each of the agencies can talk together efficiently.
A further concern is the interoperability between fire services and police units and also, of course, between ACT fire units and New South Wales fire units. These issues need to be addressed. I hope that the Chief Minister and this government will get off their bureaucratic bums and get on and expedite these outstanding issues.
Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, we now know that funds need to be spent on streamlining communication and operational equipment. We now know that the speed of situation reporting in the field needs to be addressed. We now know that the accuracy of information in terms of situation reports coming out of the field needs to be addressed. So, not only do we need appropriate equipment which is capable of carrying any load under extreme emergency pressure, we also need to make sure that the operational systems are in place, and that means training as well as reorganising our headquarters units that take care of these types of things. I am hoping that all of these lessons will come out in the McLeod inquiry and other useful studies which are currently under way.
Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to refer to the functional ability of the Emergency Services Bureau. The recently completed audit questions and is concerned about the bureau's functional ability. The auditor talks about demobilising the Emergency Services Bureau as we currently know it and creating a more functional and a more operationally responsible organisation.
If the government wants to do something proactive, it might like to consider this: one quick and reasonably cheap and cost-effective way of achieving streamlining to make ESB a more operationally responsive organisation might be to split it into operational units and an administration support base. The operators-for example, Peter Lucas-Smith and his fire units-would be able to operate unencumbered, they would be more responsive and the organisation would be less bureaucratic. Administration and support would be picked up by an administrative unit so that the operators can be more lean and mean and get on with the business. In fact, this is a model that we might look at and we would be very happy to share our views with you later, Chief Minister.
Chief Minister, we would want to see, well before next summer, the government moving to do something about the organisation of ESB, making sure that the emergency and fire units have the appropriate fundamental equipment and ensuring that the fundamental operational procedures are in place. Let's see if we can hasten a few processes.
Mr Stanhope
: Leave it to us, mate, we're fixing up your mess.MR PRATT
: Good on you, Chief Minister, you're a champion. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am disturbed that there is no money in the budget-at least, it is not identified as a stand-alone expenditure function-for bushfire education in schools. I would like to see, and I think the community would like to see-
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