Page 2923 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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comes—and the seasons do come, as we all know—then we have not learned the lessons of 2003, complacency has slipped in and we are doomed to have great sadness yet again.
Recommendation 49 goes to a museum for the ACT Rural Fire Service. Those who are proposing this—I have been pushing this for a long time, but a small group has taken that task on board and they are doing a great job—wanted to have it open for January this year, for obvious reasons. It is not open. I understand that everybody is in favour of it—the head of the Rural Fire Service, the head of Emergency Services. The minister is supportive; the members of the committee were supportive. But we still do not have it.
What is so hard about finding a space to even, in the initial instance, put up a temporary display? But we need to put up a long-term display that we can use to make sure people remember, a display that we can bring young Canberrans to so that they know what the consequences of the bushfire season are—and, indeed, the consequences of arson: a large number of our fires are still started by arsonists, and often it is small fingers with matches and a dose of boredom. It would be a great place to educate the young; it would be a great place to tell the story and commemorate those who have served and remember those who unfortunately died. But here we are. Recommendation 49 says:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government expedite the establishment of an ACT Rural Fire Service Museum.
And the government’s response is:
Noted.
The ACT Rural Fire Service Museum working group is continuing its work to develop recommendations for the Government’s consideration. Funding for a proposed RFS Museum would need to be considered in the context of future budget priorities.
It is interesting. Everybody seems to be in favour of it, but out of the government there does not seem to be a great deal of action. I think that is a shame.
There are many other areas to discuss in the whole ESA equation. There were a lot of issues discussed, particularly debriefs for staff when they come back from situations. But it is important to get to the nub of this. The nub of this is making sure that you have got the personnel, the equipment and the resources to fight fires.
The minister should release the documents that he is sitting on. They are clearly uncomfortable about releasing those because they would show they do not have the assets to meet the requirements as laid out in the strategic bushfire management plan. If they did, then of course they would make them public. I hope that they do become public soon. We are just months away from what potentially could be a big grassfire season. Whilst some good work has been done, there is much more to do. The price of keeping this city safe from bushfires in particular is constant vigilance, and any hint of complacency creeping in is to be resisted at all costs.
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