❓ Mrs. Clarke asks about the Bushfire Centre of Excellence's progress and its role in bushfire prevention and management. The Minister responds, highlighting the project's advancement, its focus on skills development, Indigenous knowledge integration, and WA's investment in bushfire mitigation.
AnsweredQoN 41Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSHFIRE CENTRE OF
EXCELLENCE
41. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to protecting the community against the threat
of bushfires through investment in mitigation, including the $18 million it is
investing to deliver and build Australia's first Bushfire Centre of
Excellence.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on the work now underway to deliver this nation-leading facility?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how the Bushfire Centre of Excellence will provide
valuable research into the prevention and management of bushfires not only for Western
Australia, but also for the rest of the country?
EXCELLENCE
41. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to protecting the community against the threat
of bushfires through investment in mitigation, including the $18 million it is
investing to deliver and build Australia's first Bushfire Centre of
Excellence.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on the work now underway to deliver this nation-leading facility?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how the Bushfire Centre of Excellence will provide
valuable research into the prevention and management of bushfires not only for Western
Australia, but also for the rest of the country?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her very,
very strong support for the Bushfire Centre of Excellence on Lakes Road in her
electorate. She has done extremely great work to get it to where it is today.
(1)–(2) 30
January this year marked the sod-turning ceremony for the Bushfire Centre of
Excellence, the first of its kind in Australia. The contract has been awarded
to regionally based Perkins Builders, which the member for Bunbury will be very
happy with. The contract to build a state-of-the-art centre is $18 million in
total, including staffing and training. This is really where we should be
going. The Bushfire Centre of Excellence came out of our response to the
Ferguson inquiry. Members will remember that the Ferguson inquiry was basically
left on the shelf for the incoming Labor government to deal with. Nothing had
been done in that space. We have addressed
all the recommendations and opportunities. Only three opportunities and three recommendations are still being worked on
at the moment; the rest have all been applied. One of the ideas that
came out of that inquiry was the concept of taking forward the skills,
knowledge and capacity of our firefighters, and all the associated volunteers
around firefighters, on how to deal with bushfires as the climate dries out and
the seasons get longer—basically, how do we go about doing it? The
Bushfire Centre of Excellence is all about updating the skills of existing
career firefighters and all the associated volunteers to deal with what is a growing
problem for the whole of Australia. We have seen what has happened in the
eastern states, with enormous bushfires created by years of drought and, in
many cases, sometimes failure to mitigate. There are examples of failure to
mitigate bush that should have been mitigated. We have never been in that
situation. Regardless of which government has been in power, there has always
been a commitment to undertake mitigation, particularly through parts of my
life, with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the
like. The centre will look at how we can lift the level of skills in the area
of mitigation when we are dealing with a drying climate and a lengthening of
the bushfire season; how we can broaden out those skills, particularly for the
number of people who will be needed in the future to deal with these incidents;
and how we can learn from the traditional fire practices of Indigenous people.
We will be employing local Indigenous people and others from around the state
to incorporate traditional fire practices. Fire has been used as a tool for
tens of thousands of years, and we will look at how we can bring those
practices and that knowledge into our training program at the Bushfire Centre
of Excellence.
The training for mitigation will
increase as a result of the Bushfire Centre of Excellence. In the mitigation
that is done, Western Australia, as I have said in this house a number of
times, is spending more on bushfire mitigation than any other state in
Australia. The McGowan government committed $50 million to bushfire mitigation.
That is $15 million for those local governments that undertake a bushfire risk
mitigation plan.
Mr D.T. Redman : It started
with the Liberal–National government. That's when it started.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : It did not start. It started at
Jerramungup.
Mr D.T. Redman : It started
with the Liberal–National government.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The member is
a smart bloke, but he just does not get it right sometimes! It started with
John Iffla down in Jerramungup. Do you know him? Down in Jerramungup. That is
where it started.
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The bushfire
risk mitigation plan, which is unique to Western Australia and is being rolled
out by this government, has now reached 35 local governments, we have awarded
70 grants of over $14.3 million, and those local governments have undertaken 1 890
activities across Western Australia to make their community safe. That is
absolutely unprecedented in Australia. The other $35 million is for undertaking
bushfire mitigation on unallocated crown land. The member for Kalgoorlie raised
an absolutely disgraceful —
Point of Order
Mr Z.R.F.
KIRKUP : The member's question was in relation to the
development of the Bushfire Centre of Excellence in Nambeelup, nothing to do
with the district of Kalgoorlie.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Excuse me. I know
there are a lot of experts here, but he is still talking about it. You did not
even give him a chance to finish.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP : It was
pre-emptive, Mr Speaker.
The
SPEAKER : I will pre-emptively say
no point of order. Minister, I am sure you will get to the point very, very
quickly.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will. It was
raised by the member for Kalgoorlie and the Leader of the Opposition in that disgraceful amendment that was brought to this
house earlier this morning about the incident out there on the Eyre Highway,
about the need for assistance for shires like Dundas and Coolgardie with the
unallocated crown land that is in their area and their ability to deal with it.
That is what the $35 million is for. Significant money has already been spent there and I have been working
with the Shire of Dundas to try to help it even more. The Leader of the
Opposition said, ''You never wrote at all to the federal government, you've
done nothing. Even you said that.'' This is what I said to David
Littleproud on 29 January.
The SPEAKER : Minister, there
are other ministers who would like to get questions up today.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I just want to
finalise this, just so the member is aware. I wrote —
Since your Government's
announcement,
This is the federal government —
The SPEAKER : Do not make me
sit you down, minister.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will get to
the end. To continue —
I have had numerous enquiries
concerning eligibility criteria for accessing the grants and support. The
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia, has advised me
that the support is being coordinated through the newly established National
Bushfire Recovery Agency � and access to the criteria are based on existing
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements � though there is some doubt as to the
precise arrangements given the newness of the agency.
Can you please provide confirmation
of the precise eligibility criteria, including whether the Shires of Dundas, Esperance and Coolgardie may be eligible
for assistance, including small businesses and interstate transport
companies that have been impacted.
The member should not come in here
and say that we did nothing. I have already written on behalf of him, and on
behalf of those shires, to try to get those businesses, small businesses and
the people who are affected, some assistance from the federal government.
Tabling of Paper
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP : The minister
appeared to be quoting from an official document. I ask that he table it.
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : I do not care; yes, I
will table it. It is a letter to Littleproud. I have no problems at all. The
member can get it from him.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP : There was
more than one page there.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : No—this
is it. I was quoting from the letter, smarty.
[See paper 3211 .]
very strong support for the Bushfire Centre of Excellence on Lakes Road in her
electorate. She has done extremely great work to get it to where it is today.
(1)–(2) 30
January this year marked the sod-turning ceremony for the Bushfire Centre of
Excellence, the first of its kind in Australia. The contract has been awarded
to regionally based Perkins Builders, which the member for Bunbury will be very
happy with. The contract to build a state-of-the-art centre is $18 million in
total, including staffing and training. This is really where we should be
going. The Bushfire Centre of Excellence came out of our response to the
Ferguson inquiry. Members will remember that the Ferguson inquiry was basically
left on the shelf for the incoming Labor government to deal with. Nothing had
been done in that space. We have addressed
all the recommendations and opportunities. Only three opportunities and three recommendations are still being worked on
at the moment; the rest have all been applied. One of the ideas that
came out of that inquiry was the concept of taking forward the skills,
knowledge and capacity of our firefighters, and all the associated volunteers
around firefighters, on how to deal with bushfires as the climate dries out and
the seasons get longer—basically, how do we go about doing it? The
Bushfire Centre of Excellence is all about updating the skills of existing
career firefighters and all the associated volunteers to deal with what is a growing
problem for the whole of Australia. We have seen what has happened in the
eastern states, with enormous bushfires created by years of drought and, in
many cases, sometimes failure to mitigate. There are examples of failure to
mitigate bush that should have been mitigated. We have never been in that
situation. Regardless of which government has been in power, there has always
been a commitment to undertake mitigation, particularly through parts of my
life, with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the
like. The centre will look at how we can lift the level of skills in the area
of mitigation when we are dealing with a drying climate and a lengthening of
the bushfire season; how we can broaden out those skills, particularly for the
number of people who will be needed in the future to deal with these incidents;
and how we can learn from the traditional fire practices of Indigenous people.
We will be employing local Indigenous people and others from around the state
to incorporate traditional fire practices. Fire has been used as a tool for
tens of thousands of years, and we will look at how we can bring those
practices and that knowledge into our training program at the Bushfire Centre
of Excellence.
The training for mitigation will
increase as a result of the Bushfire Centre of Excellence. In the mitigation
that is done, Western Australia, as I have said in this house a number of
times, is spending more on bushfire mitigation than any other state in
Australia. The McGowan government committed $50 million to bushfire mitigation.
That is $15 million for those local governments that undertake a bushfire risk
mitigation plan.
Mr D.T. Redman : It started
with the Liberal–National government. That's when it started.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : It did not start. It started at
Jerramungup.
Mr D.T. Redman : It started
with the Liberal–National government.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The member is
a smart bloke, but he just does not get it right sometimes! It started with
John Iffla down in Jerramungup. Do you know him? Down in Jerramungup. That is
where it started.
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The bushfire
risk mitigation plan, which is unique to Western Australia and is being rolled
out by this government, has now reached 35 local governments, we have awarded
70 grants of over $14.3 million, and those local governments have undertaken 1 890
activities across Western Australia to make their community safe. That is
absolutely unprecedented in Australia. The other $35 million is for undertaking
bushfire mitigation on unallocated crown land. The member for Kalgoorlie raised
an absolutely disgraceful —
Point of Order
Mr Z.R.F.
KIRKUP : The member's question was in relation to the
development of the Bushfire Centre of Excellence in Nambeelup, nothing to do
with the district of Kalgoorlie.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Excuse me. I know
there are a lot of experts here, but he is still talking about it. You did not
even give him a chance to finish.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP : It was
pre-emptive, Mr Speaker.
The
SPEAKER : I will pre-emptively say
no point of order. Minister, I am sure you will get to the point very, very
quickly.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will. It was
raised by the member for Kalgoorlie and the Leader of the Opposition in that disgraceful amendment that was brought to this
house earlier this morning about the incident out there on the Eyre Highway,
about the need for assistance for shires like Dundas and Coolgardie with the
unallocated crown land that is in their area and their ability to deal with it.
That is what the $35 million is for. Significant money has already been spent there and I have been working
with the Shire of Dundas to try to help it even more. The Leader of the
Opposition said, ''You never wrote at all to the federal government, you've
done nothing. Even you said that.'' This is what I said to David
Littleproud on 29 January.
The SPEAKER : Minister, there
are other ministers who would like to get questions up today.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I just want to
finalise this, just so the member is aware. I wrote —
Since your Government's
announcement,
This is the federal government —
The SPEAKER : Do not make me
sit you down, minister.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will get to
the end. To continue —
I have had numerous enquiries
concerning eligibility criteria for accessing the grants and support. The
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia, has advised me
that the support is being coordinated through the newly established National
Bushfire Recovery Agency � and access to the criteria are based on existing
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements � though there is some doubt as to the
precise arrangements given the newness of the agency.
Can you please provide confirmation
of the precise eligibility criteria, including whether the Shires of Dundas, Esperance and Coolgardie may be eligible
for assistance, including small businesses and interstate transport
companies that have been impacted.
The member should not come in here
and say that we did nothing. I have already written on behalf of him, and on
behalf of those shires, to try to get those businesses, small businesses and
the people who are affected, some assistance from the federal government.
Tabling of Paper
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP : The minister
appeared to be quoting from an official document. I ask that he table it.
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : I do not care; yes, I
will table it. It is a letter to Littleproud. I have no problems at all. The
member can get it from him.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP : There was
more than one page there.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : No—this
is it. I was quoting from the letter, smarty.
[See paper 3211 .]
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