❓ A parliamentary question regarding homeowner preparedness for the upcoming bushfire season is met with a response highlighting government initiatives and shared responsibility, devolving into political point-scoring.
AnsweredQoN 642Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSHFIRE
SEASON — HOMEOWNER PREPAREDNESS
642. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the
Minister for Emergency Services:
In light of the approaching bushfire season, can the minister
please remind the house of what homeowners can do to minimise the impact of a
bushfire on their properties?
SEASON — HOMEOWNER PREPAREDNESS
642. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the
Minister for Emergency Services:
In light of the approaching bushfire season, can the minister
please remind the house of what homeowners can do to minimise the impact of a
bushfire on their properties?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his very timely question. This week,
of course, is Bushfire Awareness Week.
This is the time of the year when the government encourages
every single person who lives in a bushfire-prone area to go and check,
double-check and triple-check that they have done absolutely everything they
can to prepare their house for the oncoming fire season. Of course, it is no
secret that a number of challenges will be coming this fire season after the long
wet period, and we just do not know what will happen with the weather. As I
have said before, it is a combustible cocktail of human beings and Mother
Nature. We only have to look at the tragedy unfolding in New South Wales to
know that it is hard to foresee some of the weather conditions that may come,
and Western Australia may well face similar weather conditions. The government
and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services have released a booklet
titled ''Prepare. Act. Survive.'' That outlines everything people
who live in bushfire-prone areas can do to make sure they are doing everything
they can themselves, because it is about sharing responsibility, not about
shifting responsibility, member for Girrawheen.
Ms M.M. Quirk :
Shifting responsibility! Well answer the question!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I
heard the member for Girrawheen's comments over the weekend and thought
I would have a look at the Labor Party's policy going into the last
election on this issue and that of crew protection. I googled high, I googled
low—I wore my little googling fingers out! There was nothing! The Labor
Party did not even have a policy on crew protection going into the last
election, member for Girrawheen!
Several members interjected.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
Shocking! The member for Girrawheen's commentary on this issue has been
appalling!
We are trying to make homeowners
very aware that they have a shared responsibility with the government to do
everything we can to protect people and lives during the upcoming fire season.
This year alone we will have the biggest lift capacity of aerial helicopters in
the history of Western Australia. We have just approved an order for another $3
million Erickson Air-Crane for the bushfire season. To put that in context, in
its last year in government, the Labor Party's total spend on
helicopter firefighting was only $1.3 million for the entire state for the
entire bushfire season.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
We invented helicopter firefighting.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
That is right, and I invented the internet—come on!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
The opposition invented helicopters—okay! The member for Midland
invented the helicopter!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
We are going out of our way to do everything that we can to make sure the
government and volunteer and career firefighters are ready and, as the Minister
for Environment said, to make sure that his firefighters are ready. But there
is a shared responsibility; people who live in bushfire-prone areas have to do
their bit to make sure their houses are ready. As I said, a booklet is
available on the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website that can be
downloaded and read. I encourage everyone who lives in a bushfire-prone area to
take some responsibility and make sure that they are doing their bit to prepare
for the fire season.
of course, is Bushfire Awareness Week.
This is the time of the year when the government encourages
every single person who lives in a bushfire-prone area to go and check,
double-check and triple-check that they have done absolutely everything they
can to prepare their house for the oncoming fire season. Of course, it is no
secret that a number of challenges will be coming this fire season after the long
wet period, and we just do not know what will happen with the weather. As I
have said before, it is a combustible cocktail of human beings and Mother
Nature. We only have to look at the tragedy unfolding in New South Wales to
know that it is hard to foresee some of the weather conditions that may come,
and Western Australia may well face similar weather conditions. The government
and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services have released a booklet
titled ''Prepare. Act. Survive.'' That outlines everything people
who live in bushfire-prone areas can do to make sure they are doing everything
they can themselves, because it is about sharing responsibility, not about
shifting responsibility, member for Girrawheen.
Ms M.M. Quirk :
Shifting responsibility! Well answer the question!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I
heard the member for Girrawheen's comments over the weekend and thought
I would have a look at the Labor Party's policy going into the last
election on this issue and that of crew protection. I googled high, I googled
low—I wore my little googling fingers out! There was nothing! The Labor
Party did not even have a policy on crew protection going into the last
election, member for Girrawheen!
Several members interjected.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
Shocking! The member for Girrawheen's commentary on this issue has been
appalling!
We are trying to make homeowners
very aware that they have a shared responsibility with the government to do
everything we can to protect people and lives during the upcoming fire season.
This year alone we will have the biggest lift capacity of aerial helicopters in
the history of Western Australia. We have just approved an order for another $3
million Erickson Air-Crane for the bushfire season. To put that in context, in
its last year in government, the Labor Party's total spend on
helicopter firefighting was only $1.3 million for the entire state for the
entire bushfire season.
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
We invented helicopter firefighting.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
That is right, and I invented the internet—come on!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
The opposition invented helicopters—okay! The member for Midland
invented the helicopter!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
We are going out of our way to do everything that we can to make sure the
government and volunteer and career firefighters are ready and, as the Minister
for Environment said, to make sure that his firefighters are ready. But there
is a shared responsibility; people who live in bushfire-prone areas have to do
their bit to make sure their houses are ready. As I said, a booklet is
available on the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website that can be
downloaded and read. I encourage everyone who lives in a bushfire-prone area to
take some responsibility and make sure that they are doing their bit to prepare
for the fire season.
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