Hon. Sally Talbot questions whether Alcoa refinery emissions exacerbated the Yarloop bushfires and if an inquiry will be conducted and made public. The Attorney General, representing the Minister for Emergency Services, confirms an independent inquiry into the Waroona complex fires is underway, and the report will be public.

AnsweredQoN 67Legislative Council
Asked
18 February 2016
Portfolio
Emergency Services

QuestionView source ↗

YARLOOP
BUSHFIRES — INQUIRY
67. Hon SALLY TALBOT to the Attorney General
representing the Minister for Emergency Services:
(1) Has the
Minister for Emergency Services ordered an inquiry into whether the recent
fires in and around the Yarloop area may have been exacerbated by the surface
build-up of chemical emissions from any of the Alcoa refineries?
(2) If so, will the results of that
inquiry be made public, and when?
(3) If not, why not?

AnswerView source ↗

On behalf of the Minister for
Emergency Services, I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question.
(1) No. On 20
January 2016, the Premier, Hon Colin Barnett, announced that an independent
inquiry into the Waroona complex fires will be led by the former head of the
Victorian Country Fire Authority, Mr Euan Ferguson, AFSM. The inquiry will
examine all aspects of the Waroona complex fires.
(2) Completion of
the inquiry is expected to be in April 2016. Once complete, the report will be
made public.
(3) Not applicable.

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