❓ Mr. Morton asks the Minister for Energy to update the house on the 'Are You Ready' bushfire preparedness campaign. The Minister details government expenditure on resources and encourages community action, highlighting website traffic and document downloads.
AnsweredQoN 883Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSHFIRE SEASON — HOMEOWNER PREPAREDNESS —
ARE YOU BUSHFIRE READY?
883. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Energy:
Could the minister update the house on the Are You Ready
campaign that has been launched to help home and property owners prepare
themselves for this year's fire season?
ARE YOU BUSHFIRE READY?
883. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Energy:
Could the minister update the house on the Are You Ready
campaign that has been launched to help home and property owners prepare
themselves for this year's fire season?
AnswerView source ↗
This is an important issue. The Are You Bushfire Ready?
multimedia campaign is one of the most important things that this state and the
community have to deal with. We live in a fire-prone land. Last year there were
3 800 bushfires around the state. We all remember the Roleystone–Kelmscott
and Margaret River fires and the Keelty report that came from them. The key
message from them was prepare, act and survive.
The state government has responded to that report with major
expenditure on the following: a fleet of 22 helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft
with record capacity for water delivery; 127 000 career and volunteer
firefighters who are better equipped with safer gear than ever before; and 800
people ready and involved in fire prevention and firefighting within the
Department of Parks and Wildlife. Western Power has also spent a record $250 million
to address fire risks, including $142 million on pole replacement, $17 million
on pole reinforcement and $400 million on vegetation management—a
record expenditure.
No matter how the government prepares, fire risks exist.
Governments cannot do everything. Fires are uncontrollable and unpredictable;
they can get out of hand and threaten people and lives. We all realise this
from experience here, interstate and overseas. The obligation is also on the
community to act, prepare and help us all to survive. That is why the
government has set up the areyouready.wa.gov.au website and direct-mail
campaign. To show the interest in it, in the first 24 hours there were over 1 000
hits on the website, with 343 downloads of the prepare document. This document
shows people how to prepare their properties and react in the case of a fire.
The document that tells people how to act if a fire comes onto their properties
has been downloaded 182 times and, most importantly, the document that shows
people how to survive in the case of a catastrophic fire has been downloaded
195 times. That is quite a good response.
I add that this campaign is an investment in the future.
Unfortunately, fires are part of our landscape and existence. This campaign is
preparing us for the future. Hopefully the Are You Bushfire Ready? campaign and
the message it brings will be here in the future, and I encourage all members
to get the message out to the community to act and prepare.
multimedia campaign is one of the most important things that this state and the
community have to deal with. We live in a fire-prone land. Last year there were
3 800 bushfires around the state. We all remember the Roleystone–Kelmscott
and Margaret River fires and the Keelty report that came from them. The key
message from them was prepare, act and survive.
The state government has responded to that report with major
expenditure on the following: a fleet of 22 helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft
with record capacity for water delivery; 127 000 career and volunteer
firefighters who are better equipped with safer gear than ever before; and 800
people ready and involved in fire prevention and firefighting within the
Department of Parks and Wildlife. Western Power has also spent a record $250 million
to address fire risks, including $142 million on pole replacement, $17 million
on pole reinforcement and $400 million on vegetation management—a
record expenditure.
No matter how the government prepares, fire risks exist.
Governments cannot do everything. Fires are uncontrollable and unpredictable;
they can get out of hand and threaten people and lives. We all realise this
from experience here, interstate and overseas. The obligation is also on the
community to act, prepare and help us all to survive. That is why the
government has set up the areyouready.wa.gov.au website and direct-mail
campaign. To show the interest in it, in the first 24 hours there were over 1 000
hits on the website, with 343 downloads of the prepare document. This document
shows people how to prepare their properties and react in the case of a fire.
The document that tells people how to act if a fire comes onto their properties
has been downloaded 182 times and, most importantly, the document that shows
people how to survive in the case of a catastrophic fire has been downloaded
195 times. That is quite a good response.
I add that this campaign is an investment in the future.
Unfortunately, fires are part of our landscape and existence. This campaign is
preparing us for the future. Hopefully the Are You Bushfire Ready? campaign and
the message it brings will be here in the future, and I encourage all members
to get the message out to the community to act and prepare.
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