Page 2686 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 15 August 2017

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MS CODY: Could the minister please provide additional information on how the ACT Emergency Services Agency is planning for the future needs of the Canberra community?

MADAM ACTING SPEAKER: Could you please repeat the question, Ms Cody?

MS CODY: Certainly. Could the minister please provide additional information on how the ACT Emergency Services Agency is planning for the future needs of the Canberra community?

MADAM ACTING SPEAKER: I will call the minister, but because the original question was about the budget, the minister will have to rely on the budget to answer that question; otherwise it would be out of order.

MR GENTLEMAN: Indeed; thank you, Madam Acting Speaker. As demonstrated by our commitments in the ACT 2017-18 budget, the ACT government and ESA are working to build operational capability and deliver against the ESA strategic reform agenda. The strategic reform agenda aims to ensure cohesive operations across ACT Fire & Rescue, the ACT Rural Fire Service, the ACT State Emergency Service and the ACT Ambulance Service.

This is demonstrated in this budget by our initiative to fund professional call-takers and dispatchers in the emergency 000 communications centre. This initiative follows on from extensive consultation with staff and consideration of the issues involved in running a modern, effective communications centre, and is a strong example of the strategic thinking and planning that has gone into our budget initiatives.

The ACT continues to be one of the safest cities in the world in which to live, and Canberrans can be rightly proud of our emergency services and the support they provide for the Canberra community. The ACT government is committed to working with ESA to continually strengthen and update our emergency services response as our city grows and changes.

Budget—justice and community safety portfolio

MR HANSON: My question is to the Attorney-General and relates to the budget cuts being applied within the JACS Directorate. In estimates hearings the directorate was asked if cuts would result in job losses. The responses were:

There may be some reductions in employee expenses.

Followed by:

There may be a reclassification of positions in some instances.

Attorney-General, will you guarantee there will be no job cuts in your directorate as a result of your budget cuts?


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