❓ The Leader of the Opposition questions the Minister for Emergency Services regarding the deployment of water bombers during the Esperance bushfires. The Minister's response avoids directly answering the questions, instead defending the resource allocation process and criticising the opposition.
AnsweredQoN 941Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ESPERANCE BUSHFIRES — WATER BOMBERS
941. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Minister for
Emergency Services:
I refer to the report released today into the Esperance bushfires,
which highlighted a phone call between the member for Eyre and the minister on
Tuesday, 17 November 2015 requesting water bombers for the blazing fires.
(1) What actions did the minister take immediately after this request?
(2) Why was action not taken earlier to send water bombers to
Esperance?
(3) Why did the minister tell the member for
Eyre that water bombers could not be deployed until a fire is classified as
level 3, when the Department of Fire and Emergency Services has stated that
this is incorrect?
941. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Minister for
Emergency Services:
I refer to the report released today into the Esperance bushfires,
which highlighted a phone call between the member for Eyre and the minister on
Tuesday, 17 November 2015 requesting water bombers for the blazing fires.
(1) What actions did the minister take immediately after this request?
(2) Why was action not taken earlier to send water bombers to
Esperance?
(3) Why did the minister tell the member for
Eyre that water bombers could not be deployed until a fire is classified as
level 3, when the Department of Fire and Emergency Services has stated that
this is incorrect?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the Leader of the Opposition for giving me this
opportunity.
Mr
R.F. Johnson interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Hillarys, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I cannot understand the gobbledegook coming
from over there.
Let me take the opportunity to make it crystal clear going into this
fire season, as I have done in this place over a number of years to all
members, how the level 1, 2 and 3 scale escalates, who has responsibility, who
has command and control and what assets can be deployed for use. Obviously, a level
1 fire is a very basic fire that is first attended, generally in regional Western
Australia, by the local volunteer bush fire brigade; they would be the only
ones in attendance normally for a level 1 fire. If they needed support and
needed to bring in resources from outside their area, including aerial assets,
if requested, that would then be called a level 2 incident. Just two days ago, on Tuesday, when I was
speaking in question time about emergency services, I pointed out that about 40
bushfires were burning across the state, none of which were level 3 incidents,
but anyone who watched the television news would have seen that a significant
number of aerial assets had already been deployed to those fires on Tuesday
night. A fire does not have to be a level 3 incident —
Mr M. McGowan : Why didn't you tell the member for
Eyre?
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : Leader of the Opposition, no‑one
asked me until right now whether that is correct or whether the member for Eyre
maybe misunderstood it. Let me tell members something else. I heard the Leader of
the Opposition's comments about what he said earlier in a press
conference about why the minister did not organise aerial assets. Let me tell
members something else—beware the state of Western Australia if the
Labor Party ever has its hands on emergency services. I will tell members why,
and this is a message for all members of Parliament regardless of which side
they are on. I will tell members how it does not work. It does not matter
whether a member is a backbencher, a minister, a shadow minister or anyone else
with the loudest voice and my phone number; I will never direct the resources
of emergency services personnel during a crisis. I will never ring the
commissioner and say that he has a well‑trained team 24/7 at the state
operations centre —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : We are running out of time. I want the minister to address this thing
about a water bomber and level 3.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : It is a very, very serious answer because
every fire season I get phone calls from members of Parliament on both sides
saying things like, ''Hey, minister, can you ring the commissioner and
get the incident manager to let me through a boundary to go into a fire
district?'' The answer is no; I will not do that. I will not put people's
lives at risk. That is because members of Parliament are no more important than
the people whom we represent. We have no more rights on a fireground than the
people whom we represent. Another thing I will not do is ring the commissioner
and instruct him to advance resources, whether they be tankers or fire trucks —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Member for Warnbro, I think you have been very lucky; this is only the first
time. I must be sleeping, member for Warnbro.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : That is not how emergency services are
deployed across the state of Western Australia, when professionals who are in
the state operations centre 24/7, with a helicopter view of the entire state's
requirements, make a judgement call. It does not work like that. If the Leader
of the Opposition thinks it works like that, heaven help the people of Western Australia
if he ever sits on this side of the house again.
opportunity.
Mr
R.F. Johnson interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Hillarys, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I cannot understand the gobbledegook coming
from over there.
Let me take the opportunity to make it crystal clear going into this
fire season, as I have done in this place over a number of years to all
members, how the level 1, 2 and 3 scale escalates, who has responsibility, who
has command and control and what assets can be deployed for use. Obviously, a level
1 fire is a very basic fire that is first attended, generally in regional Western
Australia, by the local volunteer bush fire brigade; they would be the only
ones in attendance normally for a level 1 fire. If they needed support and
needed to bring in resources from outside their area, including aerial assets,
if requested, that would then be called a level 2 incident. Just two days ago, on Tuesday, when I was
speaking in question time about emergency services, I pointed out that about 40
bushfires were burning across the state, none of which were level 3 incidents,
but anyone who watched the television news would have seen that a significant
number of aerial assets had already been deployed to those fires on Tuesday
night. A fire does not have to be a level 3 incident —
Mr M. McGowan : Why didn't you tell the member for
Eyre?
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : Leader of the Opposition, no‑one
asked me until right now whether that is correct or whether the member for Eyre
maybe misunderstood it. Let me tell members something else. I heard the Leader of
the Opposition's comments about what he said earlier in a press
conference about why the minister did not organise aerial assets. Let me tell
members something else—beware the state of Western Australia if the
Labor Party ever has its hands on emergency services. I will tell members why,
and this is a message for all members of Parliament regardless of which side
they are on. I will tell members how it does not work. It does not matter
whether a member is a backbencher, a minister, a shadow minister or anyone else
with the loudest voice and my phone number; I will never direct the resources
of emergency services personnel during a crisis. I will never ring the
commissioner and say that he has a well‑trained team 24/7 at the state
operations centre —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : We are running out of time. I want the minister to address this thing
about a water bomber and level 3.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : It is a very, very serious answer because
every fire season I get phone calls from members of Parliament on both sides
saying things like, ''Hey, minister, can you ring the commissioner and
get the incident manager to let me through a boundary to go into a fire
district?'' The answer is no; I will not do that. I will not put people's
lives at risk. That is because members of Parliament are no more important than
the people whom we represent. We have no more rights on a fireground than the
people whom we represent. Another thing I will not do is ring the commissioner
and instruct him to advance resources, whether they be tankers or fire trucks —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Member for Warnbro, I think you have been very lucky; this is only the first
time. I must be sleeping, member for Warnbro.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : That is not how emergency services are
deployed across the state of Western Australia, when professionals who are in
the state operations centre 24/7, with a helicopter view of the entire state's
requirements, make a judgement call. It does not work like that. If the Leader
of the Opposition thinks it works like that, heaven help the people of Western Australia
if he ever sits on this side of the house again.
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