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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 1 Hansard (30 January) . . Page.. 12 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

Last week I said that we should stop bitching and allow the firies to do their jobs, as there would be plenty of time later for an inquiry. I now suggest that there needs to be a broad-ranging independent inquiry into this disaster. I suggest an inquiry because there are many matters on which questions are now being asked by both the community and by people in different organisations. These questions do not necessarily relate to the matters that will be considered in the context of a coronial inquiry, although there is likely to be some overlap; nor will they be addressed in the appropriate reviews announced by the Chief Minister. For instance, water catchment management could not be included, nor would a coronial inquiry be able to provide recommendations in time for the next fire season.

We have given some consideration to the terms of reference of an independent inquiry into the bushfire emergency. They would cover collaborating most effectively across jurisdictions, managing national parks, managing water catchments, developing evacuation processes and procedures, providing timely and up-to-date information to the community, implementing appropriate communication techniques, ensuring effective collaboration between ACT organisations (government and non-government), evaluating the role of the Bureau of Meteorology, evaluating water and fire suppressant bombing techniques, considering urban planning and design, and so on. Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table what I hope would be draft terms of reference for such an inquiry.

Leave granted.

MR SMYTH: I present the following papers:

I see this inquiry not as a witch-hunt but as an opportunity to learn from our experience and to ensure the safety of Canberrans in the future. Its responses would need to be prepared quickly to be available during the rebuilding of our suburbs as well as during preparations for the coming fire season. I would see this inquiry considering and resolving matters in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Whatever we do, we must seek to avoid such a disaster again.

On behalf of the opposition, I extend my thanks to the ACT rural fire brigades, the ACT Fire Brigade, the Australian Federal Police, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, the Queensland Rural Fire Service, the pilots of the fire-bombing helicopters, the Emergency Services Bureau, the ACT Ambulance Service, the staff of Actew and ActewAGL, Telstra, members of the Australian defence forces, the ACT public service, the Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul, the Smith Family and all the other charitable groups that have been working on the recovery, in particular the counsellors, who are paving the way for a future for people free of the burdens that have been placed on them by this firestorm. I thank John Murray, Peter Lucas-Smith, Mike Castle and Ian Bennett for all their efforts. (Extension of time granted.)

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