Page 4009 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 16 Sept 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
the cycle can extend over such a long period. It is sad and distressing that the Ellis report has identified complacency as such a significant factor in the way in which we respond to bushfire disasters.
The critical question that I want answered is: how do we reduce the opportunity for complacency? In the context of the Ellis report and the bushfire cycle, the Ellis report does seek to answer the question that I have posed. This report proposes a set of national indicators of good practice against which reporting shall be undertaken within each jurisdiction. As the report notes:
Having a set of good-practice indicators and reporting regularly against them would obviate the current reality whereby states and territories gain an appreciation of fire mitigation and management performance only when there is a major bushfire event. Some states and territories do conduct performance audits, but they are not based on nationally agreed criteria.
The Ellis report emphasises that having national indicators of good practice “should not be used to compare the performance of various states and territories”. It goes on to say that we are not in competition in facing up to the reality of emergencies such as bushfires. But what we need is for each state and territory to be as well prepared as possible. The national indicators of good practice can be used to review, on a regular basis, the overall performance of jurisdictions in reducing the impact of elements in the bushfire cycle. As the Ellis report concludes:
Were this achieved—
the reduction of elements in the bushfire cycle—
major bushfire events’ effects on communities, the environment and individuals would be considerably reduced.
It is in this context that I have prepared this bill. Essentially, my bill will require the preparation of a report before each fire season that provides information on a range of parameters relating to the way in which we have learned from earlier bushfire events, what we have learned from the previous bushfire season and what we have prepared for the forthcoming bushfire season.
I have given careful thought to the content of the report that needs to be prepared and I have received considerable advice from a number of people who are experts in this field. I believe that preparing such reports should not be a particular impost, as the range of information that is required should be readily available to the territory. Hence, the purpose of the bill is to ensure that this information is brought together in a report to the minister and, through the minister, to the Assembly and to the community.
I have proposed a process by which this report will be considered by an appropriate committee of the Assembly. I do acknowledge the short period available to the committee for this consideration, but that is determined on one hand by the need to be properly prepared for the bushfire season that usually starts at the beginning of October, and, on the other, by allowing enough time for the information to be gathered and analysed by territory organisations. Nevertheless, the imperative remains.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .