Page 1109 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2012
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operational leaders, a fact clearly borne out in the response by the ACT SES, Fire and Rescue and Rural Fire Service to the recent extreme weather events we have experienced here and in the surrounding region. The response to this incident, which also included considerable support by other territory agencies such as TAMS, clearly demonstrated the ability of the territory to work together in a cohesive and effective manner to support and assist the community in times of need.
The bill, however, provides for the strengthening of the ACT statutory arrangements to ensure that we are at the forefront of emergency management nationally for high level control and coordination. Emergencies by definition produce adverse consequences. These may be on the community, government business or infrastructure. While I and no-one else in this Assembly desire these outcomes, the government continues to recognise the critical need to plan for those events and their effect on our community. As part of this planning, it is vital that the territory and its emergency services have the necessary means at their disposal to effectively manage any emergency.
The need for this bill was highlighted following a detailed consideration of the findings and lessons learned following recent disasters in Australia, including the 2009 Victorian bushfires, the 2010-11 Victorian floods, the 2011 Queensland floods and the 2011 Perth Hills bushfires, as well as consideration of contemporary emergency legislation across Australia.
A common theme is established through these reports, specifically the need for unambiguous and robust arrangements for high level control during significant emergencies and the recognition that the provision of effective and efficient coordination between emergency services before, during and after significant emergencies is a fundamental and critical component of any emergency response.
While much of the focus is quite rightly on the front-line capability of the services, equally the statutory and administrative arrangements by which agencies come together to manage emergencies is critical. This conclusion is borne out in many of the recent inquiries which I have just referred to.
In fact, many of the recommendations of these inquiries focus specifically on these matters, including the lines of control and command, points of accountability during emergencies, the coordination of resources across government and the provision of timely and accurate public information.
This bill derives from this context and these considerations. While the territory’s arrangements for a declared state of emergency are clearly established, and consistent with contemporary legislation elsewhere, the government has identified a gap in express provision in the act for high level control and a coordination across the four emergency services during an emergency with a high level of complexity or sensitivity, but short of the need to appoint an emergency controller. This bill addresses that gap by providing the Emergency Services Commissioner with the authority to give direction to chief officers of the emergency services.
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