❓ Ms. Farrer asks about funding for volunteer marine rescue services. The Minister for Emergency Services details the allocation of $19.5 million over three years, highlighting specific projects and criticising the previous government's lack of support.
AnsweredQoN 52Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VOLUNTEER MARINE RESCUE
SERVICES — RESOURCES
52. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record support of volunteer marine rescue services.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the funding this government is providing for
volunteer marine rescue groups?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what this will mean for our local communities?
SERVICES — RESOURCES
52. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record support of volunteer marine rescue services.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the funding this government is providing for
volunteer marine rescue groups?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what this will mean for our local communities?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) On
a more pleasant note, I am very pleased to rise to inform the house about the
way the first tranche of funding of the $19.5 million that I have made
available to the volunteer marine rescue services will be applied. The first
tranche this year will be $4.5 million, $6 million next year into 2020, and $6 million
in 2021–22.
Everyone
is aware of the work of the volunteer marine rescue in Western Australia. We
have 38 volunteer marine rescue groups around the coast of Western Australia
that do a remarkable job. They constantly put their lives at risk. Remember,
they go out into the stormy and violent oceans at a time when everyone else is
coming in, particularly when they need to rescue people or boats. Particularly
in your seat of Albany, Mr Speaker, the number of times they have gone out to
rescue people who have gone off The Gap or who have been fishing off rocks is
horrendous. Of course, these volunteers in many cases have to go and pick up
deceased people from the ocean, put them on the boat, take them back, hand them
over to the police and then go back to work. It is remarkable. What we ask our
volunteers to do across Western Australia, particularly the volunteer marine
rescue workers, is absolutely remarkable, so any assistance they can get from
the government is certainly very, very important in helping them do their job
properly.
I will inform the house of how the
funding breakdown for 2019–20 will apply and the volunteer marine
rescue groups that will receive funding. I will not go through them all because
there are too many for this question. But given that the member for Kimberley
asked the question, I can inform the member for Kimberley that East Kimberley
Volunteer Sea Rescue Group will get a new building fit-out for $87 000; I have
been to its facilities, and it certainly needs it.
Mr Premier will be very pleased to
know that Rockingham will get a new vessel. There is strong argument that
Rockingham does not get anything in terms of its parliamentary seat from this
government, but of course it does! We have a very strong member there who
fights for his seat and fights for the people of Rockingham! I inform the house
that the Premier will have a new vessel down there at Rockingham, at a cost of
$548 000. There we go. I hope you would go down there! The member for Bunbury
will get a new vessel at $238 000. Whitfords, member for Joondalup, will get a new
vessel for $266 000.
Several members interjected.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Unfortunately,
West Swan will not. I know all members are excited—just listen!
The SPEAKER : I am sure you
are getting to the end of your answer, minister.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Busselton,
too, will be getting a new vessel at over $400 000, and Bremer Bay will get a partial
refit of its vessel down there. The member for Warren–Blackwood will be
pleased that his electorate has not been forgotten with a new tow vehicle at
Windy Harbour and the design of a new building down at Augusta. So there is an
opportunity for the member for Warren–Blackwood to run around and do
his best media releases.
Those are the announcements. That is
not all of them, but they will be published very shortly. We can compare this
with the previous government that did not fund these associations —
Several members interjected.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Under Labor —
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, I am sure you are at the end.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am.
The SPEAKER : Thank you.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I just want to
make this one last point, Mr Speaker. The McGowan Labor government has managed
to ensure that the emergency services levy is extended to volunteer marine
rescue, which the former government did not. That is why I am standing here
announcing these good investments in our volunteer marine rescue.
a more pleasant note, I am very pleased to rise to inform the house about the
way the first tranche of funding of the $19.5 million that I have made
available to the volunteer marine rescue services will be applied. The first
tranche this year will be $4.5 million, $6 million next year into 2020, and $6 million
in 2021–22.
Everyone
is aware of the work of the volunteer marine rescue in Western Australia. We
have 38 volunteer marine rescue groups around the coast of Western Australia
that do a remarkable job. They constantly put their lives at risk. Remember,
they go out into the stormy and violent oceans at a time when everyone else is
coming in, particularly when they need to rescue people or boats. Particularly
in your seat of Albany, Mr Speaker, the number of times they have gone out to
rescue people who have gone off The Gap or who have been fishing off rocks is
horrendous. Of course, these volunteers in many cases have to go and pick up
deceased people from the ocean, put them on the boat, take them back, hand them
over to the police and then go back to work. It is remarkable. What we ask our
volunteers to do across Western Australia, particularly the volunteer marine
rescue workers, is absolutely remarkable, so any assistance they can get from
the government is certainly very, very important in helping them do their job
properly.
I will inform the house of how the
funding breakdown for 2019–20 will apply and the volunteer marine
rescue groups that will receive funding. I will not go through them all because
there are too many for this question. But given that the member for Kimberley
asked the question, I can inform the member for Kimberley that East Kimberley
Volunteer Sea Rescue Group will get a new building fit-out for $87 000; I have
been to its facilities, and it certainly needs it.
Mr Premier will be very pleased to
know that Rockingham will get a new vessel. There is strong argument that
Rockingham does not get anything in terms of its parliamentary seat from this
government, but of course it does! We have a very strong member there who
fights for his seat and fights for the people of Rockingham! I inform the house
that the Premier will have a new vessel down there at Rockingham, at a cost of
$548 000. There we go. I hope you would go down there! The member for Bunbury
will get a new vessel at $238 000. Whitfords, member for Joondalup, will get a new
vessel for $266 000.
Several members interjected.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Unfortunately,
West Swan will not. I know all members are excited—just listen!
The SPEAKER : I am sure you
are getting to the end of your answer, minister.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Busselton,
too, will be getting a new vessel at over $400 000, and Bremer Bay will get a partial
refit of its vessel down there. The member for Warren–Blackwood will be
pleased that his electorate has not been forgotten with a new tow vehicle at
Windy Harbour and the design of a new building down at Augusta. So there is an
opportunity for the member for Warren–Blackwood to run around and do
his best media releases.
Those are the announcements. That is
not all of them, but they will be published very shortly. We can compare this
with the previous government that did not fund these associations —
Several members interjected.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Under Labor —
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, I am sure you are at the end.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am.
The SPEAKER : Thank you.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I just want to
make this one last point, Mr Speaker. The McGowan Labor government has managed
to ensure that the emergency services levy is extended to volunteer marine
rescue, which the former government did not. That is why I am standing here
announcing these good investments in our volunteer marine rescue.
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