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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2889 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

Additionally, the board would advise the minister on all aspects of bushfire services planning, operations, organisation and training. The board would not interfere, though, in the day-to-day running of the bushfire services. The board would appoint the CEO of the bushfire services and might be titled the chief fire officer, or CFO, although on this and other nomenclature details we are still consulting with the community. I consider these issues to be merely finetunings and they should not hold up such urgent legislation.

Mr Speaker, the next point is very important. The board would be obligated by the minister to leave the CFO unhindered in the day-to-day operations, including tactical planning and tactical decision-making. The CFO would be responsible to the board for the operational supervision and tasking of all bushfire service brigades and units. The CFO would be responsible to lead, train and manage the bushfire service brigades and units.

During operations-both pre-season preparatory and actual firefighting-the CFO would set clear tasks to the bushfire service units. The CFO would then be expected to delegate to the brigade captains total responsibility for operational decisions undertaken by them in their "areas of operation"as allocated. This would occur on a task-by-task basis. No more would we ever wish to see the sort of micro-management by senior management and government departments of fire operations which characterise the existing ESB structure and the JACS departmental culture. Brigades-our men and women in the field-would be trusted to make the critical decisions "on the ground", supported by the CFO and the headquarters brigade staff and support units.

Mr Speaker, brigade captains would have direct access and be answerable only to the CFO, not to the CFO's staff, nor to headquarters brigade staff, nor to any other departmental staff. What must be restored if morale and trust within the service is to be re-instigated is the direct "chain of command"and particularly the primacy of the operational "lines of communication"from operational commanders down. What must be restored are the clear lines of communication which will allow quickly responsive and accurate operational decisions and fire intelligence and information-so important in any emergency organisation, civilian as well as military.

From talking to the men and women on the ground, this fundamental principle, I feel, has been badly eroded, along with confidence and respect. Re-establishing this "operational culture"with its clear lines of command and tasking would help to alleviate the energy-sapping politics that seems to be disrupting the existing organisation, its structure and agencies.

Mr Speaker, the bushfire board would have an advisory council, made up of a wide range of community stakeholders deemed by the minister to have a legitimate interest in bushfire planning. Their role would be purely advisory, and there would be no veto capacity. They would assist primarily in the routine planning and updating of the bushfire fuel management plan. They would also have a monitoring role to assist the board to ensure that the plan was fully implemented and on time.

Mr Speaker, JACS would be tasked to provide administrative and logistical support to the bushfire authority and its units, and all other emergency agencies as well. They

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