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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Tuesday, 22 June 2004) . . Page.. 2348 ..

penalties outside the bushfire season. Higher penalties will be incurred for unlawful activities in the bushfire season.

This bill presents a comprehensive revision of all of the existing legislation for emergency management. It modernises, simplifies and clarifies the planning and management of functions for each of the four emergency services. It draws those services under a much more cohesive and strategically focused management structure. The new authority is designed to be a strong and unified emergency management agency.

I have observed, with some satisfaction and comfort, that the Emergency Services Bureau, under the guidance of the commissioner designate, has already made significant progress in its transformation into such an organisation. As Minister Wood said when presenting this bill, we cannot wait for another fire season to pass before moving to reform emergency management. I therefore urge all members of this Assembly to support this legislation today.

MS TUCKER (5.46): The Greens support this bill. It’s the result of reflection on what was and was not working in our emergency services, that is, the urban fire brigade, ambulance, rural fire service and volunteer emergency service. Last year’s terrible fires showed us some stark problems in the structure established under the previous government. Many recommendations of reports over the last decade had not been implemented. This included, importantly, community education and preparation on the urban edge to build recognition and preparedness that we live in a bushfire-prone land.

There were also longstanding issues such as the urban fire service’s training budget, which was reduced massively from the time of amalgamation of management into the former Emergency Services Bureau. There was also the ongoing unmet need for communications upgrade. This is just to name a couple of points.

The McLeod report began the process of identifying problems and remodelling. I and other MLAs in the Canberra community heard from members of the services, particularly fire, urban and rural, about what they saw as fundamental problems in the structure proposed by McLeod.

I am very pleased to be able to say that the new commissioner for emergency services, Peter Dunn, whom the government appointed late last year, has done a great job of working with all of the interested groups and people to mould the new authority in a way that will, we sincerely hope, mean that the individual services will have the support and autonomy they need for their regular work and, in times of emergency, whether bushfire, major accidents, health crises, will work together smoothly and effectively.

The bill is structured to set the key principles of operation for the ESA and the key responsibilities to establish advisory groups with the key views and expertise represented and to require the development of emergency services plans. The objects set out at clause 3 are to protect and preserve life, property and the environment; to provide for effective emergency management; to provide for the effective and cohesive management by the Emergency Services Authority of the state emergency service, the ambulance service, the fire brigade and the rural fire service; and to recognise the value to the community of all emergency service members, including volunteer members.

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