Page 34 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
although fortunately no lives or homes have been lost. The cooler weather and rain over recent days have thankfully contributed to the fire being brought under control.
Although the fire is still burning, it is important for us to take the opportunity today to recognise the incredible work of the emergency services personnel, the police, public servants, community service partners and volunteers who have assisted in the enormous effort of protecting our city. I would like to thank Commissioner Whelan for her leadership and outstanding efforts to keep the people of Canberra safe this summer. The commissioner and the entire Emergency Services Agency have worked tirelessly to fight fires within the ACT and surrounding regions, while at the same time providing all of us with the information we need to be bushfire prepared.
The Community Services Directorate has also played a vital role in supporting Canberrans and people from other fire-affected areas in Australia. Under the ACT emergency arrangements, the Community Services Directorate is responsible for establishing evacuation relief and recovery centres. These centres provide a safe place for people to shelter and access support, including financial assistance and temporary accommodation when they are required to evacuate their home or business. In response to the bushfires within our region, evacuation centres were stood up across the ACT.
On 2 January the Dickson relief centre was established at Dickson College to provide respite and support to people affected by the bushfires in New South Wales and Victoria. The centre was open for two weeks and helped more than 380 people, providing more than $30,000 worth of financial assistance as well as meals, goods and clothing and much-needed accommodation.
People accessing the centre were either transiting through the ACT on their way home from the fire-affected region, due to the many road closures, or were impacted by the fire and had temporarily moved to Canberra. A lot of these people were understandably anxious and upset and many families were split, with one parent staying near their home to manage insurance and other arrangements and the other parent and the children trying to establish a sense of temporary security in Canberra with family or friends or on their own.
On 28 January the Erindale evacuation centre was activated to provide a place of safety and support to people in Canberra’s southern suburbs threatened by the Orroral Valley fire. The evacuation centre was open for 10 days and provided assistance and reassurance to over 175 people. These evacuation centres are a vital part of the response to any natural disasters, such as a bushfire or flood, and it is thanks to the staff of the Community Services Directorate, volunteers and our community service partners that we can provide these much-needed places of respite. I would like to thank everyone involved in the operation of these centres for their time, effort and compassion over the past month.
I have no doubt that this bushfire season will be remembered by all of us as the most destructive and unprecedented season to date. As a government, we are committed to supporting Canberrans and our interstate neighbours who need assistance to recover.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video