❓ Mr. Redman questions the Emergency Services Minister regarding discrepancies in funding allocations for bushfire mitigation, specifically concerning Royalties for Regions funds distributed to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH). The Minister clarifies the funding pathways and amounts allocated to each department and DFES.
AnsweredQoN 5313Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to your response to my Question Without Notice on 13th June 2019, referring to $5.8m of Royalties for Regions funding for fire mitigation, and ask: (a) Can you confirm that your response in saying some of the funding goes to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is accurate: (i) If yes, can you explain why your comments in Parliament on 26 June 2019 appear to suggest the funding goes to the Department of Lands; and (ii) If no, will you put the record straight?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 September 2019
Responded by
Minister for Emergency Services; Corrective Services
Response time
12 days
(a) Yes. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions received some funding. The funding allocated to DBCA was provided for specific on-ground works to mitigate priority areas of UCL and UMR adjacent to selected regional town sites across Western Australia. This is additional to DBCA’s usual fire prevention activities.
(i)-(ii) The amount of $5.8 million referred to in the Question on Notice relates to Budget Paper No.3 ‘Royalties for Region Program’ Table 1 page 191 under Investing in our Environment - Bushfire Mitigation on Crown Land Regional Town sites, as well as Budget Paper No.2 Volume 2 page 618 under the agency Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage’s ‘Details of Controlled Grants and Subsidies’ table.
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) has been allocated $5.8 million in Royalties for Regions (RfR) monies in 2019-20 for bushfire mitigation works by local governments and state agencies, including the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). DFES assists DPLH in facilitating a portion of this funding via grants to regional local governments to undertake bushfire mitigation activities. DFES records that portion of RfR funding received from DPLH under grants each year. The funding portion for DFES totals $3.001 million in 2018-19 and $0.928 million in 2019-20.
The following table summarises DFES bushfire mitigation funding source for 2019-20:
2019-20 - $’000
Emergency Services Levy – Bushfire Mitigation
11,190
DPLH Mitigation Activity Fund – Bushfire Mitigation
928
DPLH – Unallocated Crown Land
500
Mitigation funding allocated to DBCA by DPLH will need to be referred to that Department.
(i)-(ii) The amount of $5.8 million referred to in the Question on Notice relates to Budget Paper No.3 ‘Royalties for Region Program’ Table 1 page 191 under Investing in our Environment - Bushfire Mitigation on Crown Land Regional Town sites, as well as Budget Paper No.2 Volume 2 page 618 under the agency Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage’s ‘Details of Controlled Grants and Subsidies’ table.
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) has been allocated $5.8 million in Royalties for Regions (RfR) monies in 2019-20 for bushfire mitigation works by local governments and state agencies, including the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). DFES assists DPLH in facilitating a portion of this funding via grants to regional local governments to undertake bushfire mitigation activities. DFES records that portion of RfR funding received from DPLH under grants each year. The funding portion for DFES totals $3.001 million in 2018-19 and $0.928 million in 2019-20.
The following table summarises DFES bushfire mitigation funding source for 2019-20:
2019-20 - $’000
Emergency Services Levy – Bushfire Mitigation
11,190
DPLH Mitigation Activity Fund – Bushfire Mitigation
928
DPLH – Unallocated Crown Land
500
Mitigation funding allocated to DBCA by DPLH will need to be referred to that Department.
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