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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2915 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

was particularly interested in thinking about it, which was obvious from the response to the motion I moved.

We have looked at recommendation 95 of that debrief, but I would like to remind members of the history of recommendations regarding communication on fires. The vulnerability of the urban interface and the need for community education has been recognised in the ACT for many years, though not in this Assembly. It was noted in the findings of the task force on bushfire management practices of August 1995, and in the fuel management plan 1998. In the former, there were specific recommendations-16, 21 and 24-which dealt with education.

No 16 was "Education programs be implemented to inform the public of the bushfire risks in the ACT, the need for hazard reduction burning and the inevitability of some impact from smoke."Recommendation 21 was "The Chief Territory Planner, on the advice of the Chief Fire Control Officer of the Bushfire Service, be responsible for the declaration of urban areas as bushfire hazardous areas."Recommendation 22 was "The Building Code of Australia standards and guidelines relevant to bushfire prone areas be adopted in the ACT and the building control authority ensure their application in declared bushfire hazardous areas."Recommendation 23 was "Urban edge guidelines be revised by Public Works and Services taking into account bushfire hazard assessments."Recommendation 24 was "The revised guidelines be applied where feasible to all existing and future urban edge areas."

I also know that these were pointed out to the then Liberal government, which had responsibility for this matter for six years and knew about these recommendations for that time. I also know that it was pointed out to them in 1999 that there were inadequate resources to deal with on-ground and necessary work, and that it was essential that there was communication with community groups who had already expressed an interest in having input, that they be made aware of the issues and that they be given advice on how to help themselves if necessary.

Of course, none of this happened. Mr Speaker, I do find it hard to understand how any Liberal who was here at the time these recommendations were made, whether as a staffer or a member, can dare to stand up in this place and attempt to censure this government for lack of implementation of one recommendation that was seen to be of low priority regarding community education.

I know now that concerns were being expressed to the Liberals when they were in government about their tardiness in dealing with these recommendations. Unfortunately, I did not know it at the time, and I do feel responsible myself for not challenging and questioning the Liberal government on its response to recommendations regarding community education.

I was aware that the recommendations regarding fuel management were picked up in the bushfire fuel management plan, but should not have assumed that there was work happening on the other recommendations. Now we know nothing was happening. Certainly, the current Labor government should have done more as well, but the Liberal government did nothing for much longer.

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