Page 70 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 14 February 2006
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collection, bar the efforts of the Australia Bureau of Statistics, provides all states and territories with a snapshot of just where the government of the day stands and how improvements to service delivery can be made to the benefit of the broader community. If a government can maximise its efforts to reduce the levels of risk to a community by learning from previous natural disasters, such as the 2003 bushfires, and thus reduce the impact of tragic events, any improved reporting in this area will aid in improving levels and perceptions of safety within the Canberra community.
I would like to highlight a section of the Productivity Commission’s report on emergency management that underpins any effort that should be made by a government in its approach to combating natural disasters and maintaining the highest level of protection possible to the community. The report states:
Emergency Management aims to create and strengthen safe, sustainable and resilient communities that can avoid or minimise the effects of emergencies, and at the same time, have the ability to recover quickly by restoring their socio-economic vitality.
That quote was from section 8.2 of the emergency management section of the report on government services for 2006. That, to me, is such a poignant statement of fact as to how a government should be operating its emergency services sector by way of supporting the personnel and ensuring that they are equipped effectively to do the job. The volunteers who give their time and energy selflessly display what I would term the most highly regarded qualities that any member of a community can have—the desire to protect without thinking too much of the consequences to one’s personal safety. To me, all volunteers, regardless of what field they operate in, maintain a certain hero status, yet go about their efforts in a predominantly quiet and unassuming manner.
A cautionary statement expressed in the report is that government naturally has to wear a significant cost of providing greater support to volunteer emergency services. As Mr Pratt alluded to, these services certainly do not come free. I think that other members have alluded to that too. Governments must be mindful that, although volunteers make a valuable contribution, they should not be counted as an entirely free resource. Section 8.9 of the report on government services states:
… governments incur costs in supporting volunteers to deliver emergency services in their communities by providing funds and support through infrastructure, training, uniforms, personal protective equipment, operational equipment and support for other operating costs.
Mr Pratt made reference to the fact that in real terms, if these services are to remain viable and supported in the most effective way, targeted funds must be maintained over a longer period to ensure that the ACT is in the best position to combat natural disasters.
To change direction, I note that comments made by the Victorian government identified a significant issue no doubt in the spotlight in the ACT; that is, “the critical need for well understood, timely, multi-agency notification processes”. That, again, was from the report on government services, at section 8.55. It is imperative that any government is constantly looking to improve upon a single point of responsibility for emergency services telecommunications and it is hoped that the ACT government will continue to
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