Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2957 ..

MRS DUNNE (continuing):

we do not learn. That is what we are about. But there are other issues here as well. Before this report was off the press, the Chief Minister was saying, "We are going to implement everything and that is gospel,"but then he came in here yesterday and said that some of it is not gospel. However, as soon as someone points out that there is an inconsistency, the government produces the revamped version of the government response that makes sure that it is all gospel again.

That is not the way to take the community with you. That is not the way to ensure that the community has confidence that what comes after will be the right answer. The thing that people on this side of the house are concerned about on this matter is that members of the community may not have confidence in what comes afterwards. The volunteers may not turn out. Volunteers are just that, volunteers. They act of their own volition. If they are not confident in the structure that underpins their voluntary activity, they may not turn out. That would be a huge disaster.

At 5.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the debate was interrupted. The motion for the adjournment of the Assembly having been put and negatived, the debate was resumed.

MRS DUNNE: Just to recap: my concern is that if there is not confidence in the community the volunteers will cease to volunteer.

The second point is the one that I really want to deal with most. It is the one about making sure that individuals in the community are able to heal as much as is possibly the case. The Chief Minister said some things that on the surface seem quite laudable. The recovery centre, the bushfire task force and the community reference group are fabulous. No-one faults the personnel and management that have gone into them, and the thought and care of countless volunteers and officials who have really taken this task to heart. Those people deserve a medal. But there are still people who are falling through the cracks. I will read an email from a parent of a family whose house was burnt down in Duffy:

The Chief Minister has said that no-one has to wait, but this constituent has to wait for a fortnight for his children to get counselling when they need it. In the circumstances, speaking from personal experience, that is not good enough. When you need counselling to overcome a trauma, you need that counselling to be responsive. Until I can get guarantees from this constituent and others that this is the case, I want this Assembly to support the second element of this motion.

I speak to the rural lessees on a regular basis and a number of rural lessees have said to me, "We've been forgotten in this, Vicki; we've just been forgotten. We have to beg and plead to get things."There were rural lessees who were burnt out for the first time in the fires of 2001 and who were subsequently burnt out last year and went for weeks without power and water. (Extension of time granted.) It was only the intervention of the coroner's office that got their power and water reconnected. These

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .