❓ Following the Bellevue incident, the Minister for Environment details the changes made to the Department of Environmental Protection's emergency response area, including the establishment of a new pollution response squad, purchase of new equipment, and a training course with the US EPA.
AnsweredQoN 1228Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Further to the Bellevue incident and additional funds being made available to the Department of Environmental Protection by the Government to boost the emergency response area within the department, what are some of the changes that have taken place, particularly in terms of training officers in the pollution response unit at the Department of Environmental Protection? Dr J.M. EDWARDS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I am grinning at the member for Murdoch because yesterday I was given a very nice cap from members of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. One day I will proudly wear it, but not in the Chamber. Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for the question. I am grinning at the member for Murdoch because yesterday I was given a very nice cap from members of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. One day I will proudly wear it, but not in the Chamber. Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
I thank the member for the question. I am grinning at the member for Murdoch because yesterday I was given a very nice cap from members of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. One day I will proudly wear it, but not in the Chamber. Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for the question. I am grinning at the member for Murdoch because yesterday I was given a very nice cap from members of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. One day I will proudly wear it, but not in the Chamber. Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
I thank the member for the question. I am grinning at the member for Murdoch because yesterday I was given a very nice cap from members of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. One day I will proudly wear it, but not in the Chamber. Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
Earlier this year the Government provided new funding to the Department of Environmental Protection and set up a totally new pollution response squad. Since that time, its staff have been recruited. It has some excellent officers. The pollution response squad has purchased new equipment, which the Government also provided for in the budget. Today those officers are in the middle of a five-day training course with members of the US EPA who have come to Western Australia. The US EPA members have not been paid to come here; they have donated their time to us. Ten staff from the Department of Environmental Protection, two staff from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia and eight people from the relevant area of industry are undergoing this five-day intensive training course on emergency response to pollution events. I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
I have had some interesting discussions with those officers, particularly those who were involved in the September 11 experience. Our staff in Western Australia are receiving valuable training. On top of that, they will benchmark our services against the US EPA standards. The US EPA is recognised as a leader and its officers are giving us some positive feedback about what we are doing in this State. At the moment they are looking at hazmat responses, how we maintain safety and how sampling is undertaken, particularly sampling to ensure that we are relevant and can follow through with enforcement and prosecution. I reassure the House that we are training our officers to world standard and we will be benchmarked against the world leaders.
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