Page 291 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2008

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this so that we can look at changing the culture, especially for young people when they think that the only way to have fun is to get smashed.

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (4.41): I thank Mr Pratt for bringing us this MPI on community safety in Canberra. When we have an emergency, the men and women of the emergency service agencies are our front-line response. Our emergency service agencies are ready to respond to the community’s needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The ACT Emergency Services Agency, known as the ESA, is made up of professionals and volunteers dedicated to helping their fellow Canberrans in their time of need. It covers our paramedics in the ACT Ambulance Service, our firefighters, the Rural Fire Service and the SES. In addition, ACT Policing, which is part of the Australian Federal Police, is one of the front-line emergency response agencies that assist us in our time of need.

The ESA responds to around 41,000 incidents per year involving 53,000 responses. This breaks down to 112 incidents per day that our emergency services deal with in a very effective manner. The Canberra community is extremely well serviced by these men and women, whether the problem is due to a storm, bushfire, motor vehicle accident or medical emergency. No matter what the situation is, you can be sure that you are in the best hands and getting the best of care.

In addition, the ESA continues to ensure that members of our community are well informed and warned about emergency incidents through the ESA media unit, operating 24 hours every day of the year, and through community awareness programs such as farm fire wise, the storm safe campaign, and the bushfire awareness campaign conducted in December 2007.

The territory has in excess of 15,000 trained personal ready to tackle bushfires this season. Thankfully, the fires have been minor. The personnel are made up of staff and volunteers from the ACT Rural Fire Service, the ACT Fire Brigade, community fire units, the Department of Territory and Municipal Services and support units of the ACT State Emergency Service and the ESA.

Specific funding initiatives announced in the 2007-08 budget aimed at increasing community safety in Canberra include a $6.5 million fire vehicle replacement program, $226,000 for 10 additional community fire units and a further $193,000 over four years for ongoing volunteer training and maintenance. There is also $1.597 million for improved bushfire readiness by the implementation of agreed outstanding bushfire coronial recommendations. There is $4.9 million over four years for staffing and vehicles for the ACT Ambulance Service, including 16 new staff and four new vehicles. And the list goes on. This funding, provided by the ACT government, is helping to ensure that our emergency services have state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles to ensure that they can effectively and efficiently carry out their jobs in assisting the Canberra community.

The latest Productivity Commission report on government services is further evidence of the dedication of the territory emergency services personnel. While the data from the ACT show an increase in demand for our intensive-care paramedics, firefighters and emergency service volunteers, the fact that response times have stayed within key targets is a great achievement by the women and men on the front line.


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