❓ Opposition questions the Premier's commitment to ministerial responsibility and competence, given resignations at FESA following the Keelty Report. The Premier defends the Minister for Emergency Services, expressing confidence in his ability to implement the report's recommendations and restructure FESA.
AnsweredQoN 627Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
KEELTY REPORT — FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES AUTHORITY — RESIGNATIONS
Given the resignations of both the chief executive officer and the chief operations officer of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority and the proposed scrapping of the entire FESA board in the wake of the Keelty inquiry, I ask — (1) Why does the Minister for Emergency Services still hold his portfolio? (2) What does the Premier’s failure to remove this minister say about the Premier’s commitment to ministerial responsibility and to standards of competence in his government? Mr C.J. BARNETT
Given the resignations of both the chief executive officer and the chief operations officer of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority and the proposed scrapping of the entire FESA board in the wake of the Keelty inquiry, I ask — (1) Why does the Minister for Emergency Services still hold his portfolio? (2) What does the Premier’s failure to remove this minister say about the Premier’s commitment to ministerial responsibility and to standards of competence in his government? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
(1) Why does the Minister for Emergency Services still hold his portfolio? (2) What does the Premier’s failure to remove this minister say about the Premier’s commitment to ministerial responsibility and to standards of competence in his government? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
(2) What does the Premier’s failure to remove this minister say about the Premier’s commitment to ministerial responsibility and to standards of competence in his government? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
(1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
(1) Why does the Minister for Emergency Services still hold his portfolio? (2) What does the Premier’s failure to remove this minister say about the Premier’s commitment to ministerial responsibility and to standards of competence in his government? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
(2) What does the Premier’s failure to remove this minister say about the Premier’s commitment to ministerial responsibility and to standards of competence in his government? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
(1)–(2) Yes, the CEO, Jo Harrison-Ward, has left FESA, and Craig Hynes has now also resigned. As the two senior people in FESA, I respect the work that they have done. I know them both well, and I wish them well in their futures. But I think it was important for the new CEO, Wayne Gregson, to be able to have clear authority, and he is certainly exercising that. I and the Minister for Emergency Services have full confidence in him to get on and do the job. I have been pleased by the way in which he has connected with and related to volunteer firefighters, the Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies of government. He will continue in that role; he is on a 12-month contract. In the meantime, we will be bringing legislation into this house to restructure FESA without a board. However, in the meantime, the board continues in almost a caretaker role. Then there will be a commissioner for fire and emergency services. That is being overseen by the Minister for Emergency Services, and I have full faith in him to do that and implement all the recommendations of the Keelty report.
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