❓ Question regarding the McGowan Labor government's investment in bushfire mitigation and how it supports local governments and regional communities. The Minister details the $50 million investment, the Rural Fire Division, and collaboration with local governments.
AnsweredQoN 690Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSHFIRE MITIGATION
690. Mr K.J.J. MICHEL to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record investment in bushfire mitigation. Can the minister
advise the house how this significant investment is supporting local
governments and regional communities in managing bushfire risks?
690. Mr K.J.J. MICHEL to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record investment in bushfire mitigation. Can the minister
advise the house how this significant investment is supporting local
governments and regional communities in managing bushfire risks?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Pilbara for
the question, and acknowledge his personal support for the emergency service
volunteers in the Pilbara, particularly in Port Hedland and Karratha. Members
will remember that just after the budget was announced I informed the house and
the general public about the historic investment we have made in keeping our
communities safe in rural and regional Western Australia through the creation
of the Rural Fire Division, and a massive investment in bushfire mitigation, to
address some of the highest-risk bushfire points in rural and regional Western Australia.
Our government is investing $50 million in bushfire mitigation. That is a historic
amount of money—more than any other state government in the whole of
Australia. It is aimed at working in collaboration with local governments to
identify parts of their own areas that contain the highest risks to either
infrastructure, property or lives in their region. That is what it is aimed at.
It is about the state government working in collaboration with local
governments. That is what the Rural Fire Division is about. As I have explained
to this house before, the Rural Fire Division has come about as a result of our
government's response to the Ferguson report and other reports. We made
it very clear that we are not going to go down the path taken by New South
Wales and Queensland of creating a standalone rural fire service, because in Western
Australia we already have a huge number of fantastic bushfire and emergency
service volunteers across the whole state, who do that work, and we do not want
to replicate that. Instead, we have created the Rural Fire Division, which is
an arm of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, aimed at getting
greater collaboration between state government, local government and the
volunteers to identify the highest risk bushfire threats to our communities,
and then to address those.
On Friday of last week I was at the
old Balingup racecourse with my colleague, the Minister for Sport and
Recreation, the member for Collie–Preston. It was very interesting
being stuck in the forest with the member for Collie–Preston, but it
was a great day, because we had not only state government representatives, but
also local government representatives from the Shires of Nannup and Donnybrook–Balingup.
A range of volunteers from a number of groups were also present, from Argyle
and Irishtown and around Balingup itself. The Friends of the Forest were
present as well. The Friends of the Forest are very committed to regenerating
the area around the old Balingup racecourse. They were quite concerned about
the local government coming in and undertaking bushfire mitigation in what they
saw as their regeneration area. However, it has been done in such a way that we
have the full support of the environmentalists in the area. That is a massive
change. Using bushfire mitigation, or mechanical mitigation, we now have
support from very deep green environmentalist groups to undertake that work and
keep our communities safe. That is a big transformation.
At
that event, I indicated that $3.3 million worth of funding had been made
available to local governments in the first of the 2018–19 rounds. I will
very briefly tell the house where this money is being spent, although not how
much. It will be spent in the Shire of Augusta–Margaret River, the
Shire of Beverley, the Shire of Boyup Brook, the Shire of Bridgetown–Greenbushes,
the Shire of Carnamah, the Shire of Chittering, the Shire of Donnybrook–
Balingup, the Shire of Irwin, the Shire of Jerramungup, the City of Karratha,
the Shire of Nannup, the Shire of Northampton, the Shire of Ravensthorpe, the
Shire of Wagin, the Shire of West Arthur, the Shire of Woodanilling, and the
Shire of York. Those shires will be in receipt of $3.3 million to assist them
to undertake their mitigation in areas for which they are responsible. As I indicated,
of the $35 million that we are making available for the state government to do
its work on its land, $1.2 million will be released for bushfire mitigation in
the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, goldfields, Esperance, south west, Peel,
great southern, wheatbelt and the midwest.
The SPEAKER : Come on,
minister.
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : We will be tackling
these areas with bushfire mitigation over the next few months and into the new
year. The Minister for Local Government would be appreciative of this. As I indicated,
this is about collaboration. I will quote the shire president of Donnybrook–Balingup,
Brian Piesse. This is from the Bunbury Herald .
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister, can
you wrap this up, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am not going
—
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, I am
the one that wraps it up, not you. Minister, can you wrap it up, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am going to
wrap this up. I am not going quite as long as the Minister for Tourism went,
but I would like to —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, other ministers want to get a question.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : We just cannot
get enough of good news.
The SPEAKER : It would be good
news if you sat down!
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : I will make this
final quote. The president of Donnybrook–Balingup shire, Brian Piesse,
said —
''This is what a state
government–local government partnership is all about,''�
That is what it is all about. That
sums it all up.
The SPEAKER : Member for Roe,
with a short question.
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : Mr Speaker, I
have lost my train of thought after that response.
The SPEAKER : You have been
derailed!
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : Mr Speaker,
my question is —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Members
to my right, I want to hear this.
the question, and acknowledge his personal support for the emergency service
volunteers in the Pilbara, particularly in Port Hedland and Karratha. Members
will remember that just after the budget was announced I informed the house and
the general public about the historic investment we have made in keeping our
communities safe in rural and regional Western Australia through the creation
of the Rural Fire Division, and a massive investment in bushfire mitigation, to
address some of the highest-risk bushfire points in rural and regional Western Australia.
Our government is investing $50 million in bushfire mitigation. That is a historic
amount of money—more than any other state government in the whole of
Australia. It is aimed at working in collaboration with local governments to
identify parts of their own areas that contain the highest risks to either
infrastructure, property or lives in their region. That is what it is aimed at.
It is about the state government working in collaboration with local
governments. That is what the Rural Fire Division is about. As I have explained
to this house before, the Rural Fire Division has come about as a result of our
government's response to the Ferguson report and other reports. We made
it very clear that we are not going to go down the path taken by New South
Wales and Queensland of creating a standalone rural fire service, because in Western
Australia we already have a huge number of fantastic bushfire and emergency
service volunteers across the whole state, who do that work, and we do not want
to replicate that. Instead, we have created the Rural Fire Division, which is
an arm of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, aimed at getting
greater collaboration between state government, local government and the
volunteers to identify the highest risk bushfire threats to our communities,
and then to address those.
On Friday of last week I was at the
old Balingup racecourse with my colleague, the Minister for Sport and
Recreation, the member for Collie–Preston. It was very interesting
being stuck in the forest with the member for Collie–Preston, but it
was a great day, because we had not only state government representatives, but
also local government representatives from the Shires of Nannup and Donnybrook–Balingup.
A range of volunteers from a number of groups were also present, from Argyle
and Irishtown and around Balingup itself. The Friends of the Forest were
present as well. The Friends of the Forest are very committed to regenerating
the area around the old Balingup racecourse. They were quite concerned about
the local government coming in and undertaking bushfire mitigation in what they
saw as their regeneration area. However, it has been done in such a way that we
have the full support of the environmentalists in the area. That is a massive
change. Using bushfire mitigation, or mechanical mitigation, we now have
support from very deep green environmentalist groups to undertake that work and
keep our communities safe. That is a big transformation.
At
that event, I indicated that $3.3 million worth of funding had been made
available to local governments in the first of the 2018–19 rounds. I will
very briefly tell the house where this money is being spent, although not how
much. It will be spent in the Shire of Augusta–Margaret River, the
Shire of Beverley, the Shire of Boyup Brook, the Shire of Bridgetown–Greenbushes,
the Shire of Carnamah, the Shire of Chittering, the Shire of Donnybrook–
Balingup, the Shire of Irwin, the Shire of Jerramungup, the City of Karratha,
the Shire of Nannup, the Shire of Northampton, the Shire of Ravensthorpe, the
Shire of Wagin, the Shire of West Arthur, the Shire of Woodanilling, and the
Shire of York. Those shires will be in receipt of $3.3 million to assist them
to undertake their mitigation in areas for which they are responsible. As I indicated,
of the $35 million that we are making available for the state government to do
its work on its land, $1.2 million will be released for bushfire mitigation in
the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, goldfields, Esperance, south west, Peel,
great southern, wheatbelt and the midwest.
The SPEAKER : Come on,
minister.
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : We will be tackling
these areas with bushfire mitigation over the next few months and into the new
year. The Minister for Local Government would be appreciative of this. As I indicated,
this is about collaboration. I will quote the shire president of Donnybrook–Balingup,
Brian Piesse. This is from the Bunbury Herald .
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister, can
you wrap this up, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am not going
—
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, I am
the one that wraps it up, not you. Minister, can you wrap it up, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am going to
wrap this up. I am not going quite as long as the Minister for Tourism went,
but I would like to —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, other ministers want to get a question.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : We just cannot
get enough of good news.
The SPEAKER : It would be good
news if you sat down!
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : I will make this
final quote. The president of Donnybrook–Balingup shire, Brian Piesse,
said —
''This is what a state
government–local government partnership is all about,''�
That is what it is all about. That
sums it all up.
The SPEAKER : Member for Roe,
with a short question.
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : Mr Speaker, I
have lost my train of thought after that response.
The SPEAKER : You have been
derailed!
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : Mr Speaker,
my question is —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Members
to my right, I want to hear this.
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