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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 2 Hansard (5 March) . . Page.. 540 ..

Mr Smyth: Not by us?

MR STANHOPE: We will certainly cover the New South Wales fire when it crossed the border. That is the extent of our jurisdiction under the Coroners Act. There will be cooperation between the New South Wales and ACT coroners, just as there will be cooperation between Mr McLeod, undoubtedly, and the ACT and New South Wales coroners.

These are all valid questions, certainly. But I have a concern, Mr Cornwell. You stood and asked me to tell you whether or not I could say these things were true. I cannot. I have no advice on any of these matters. I do not know the answer to a single one of the questions you ask, but they are serious questions.

I think we need to bear in mind the serious suggestion that was implicit in your question, Mr Cornwell, that equipment under the control of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service was not utilised by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in fighting the fire at MacIntyres Hut. If you are suggesting-I do not know whether you are, Mr Cornwell, because as I said earlier, I have great respect for you-that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service was derelict in its duty, that is a very serious allegation you are making. If you are suggesting that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service neglected all these fixed-wing aircraft and all this fire-fighting capacity and that it chose not to fight the MacIntyres Hut fire, then I am concerned about that, and I think the New South Wales Rural Fire Service will be pretty concerned about that too and that the ACT Liberal Party has now turned its full frontal attack on Phil Koperberg and the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Mrs Burke: How low will he go?

Mr Smyth: Twisting, twisting, twisting.

MR STANHOPE: You have drawn attention to a whole stack of equipment which you said was sitting around on the ground, was turned away, was not brought into the fire-equipment that was under the control of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service was fighting the biggest of the fires confronting the ACT-the MacIntyres Hut fire, the fire that ultimately crashed into Duffy-and you are saying that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service did not utilise that equipment. I am surprised at that, too.

As we all know, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service had a significant number of personnel fighting the fire at MacIntyres Hut and they were depoted at Mr Stromlo in the path of the fire that they were fighting. Something we have not dwelt on is that that entire depot was burnt out. All those New South Wales fire personnel lost all their cars. They lost all their equipment. They lost everything that they brought to the ACT with them. It is ironic that they were burnt out by the fire that they were fighting; that they built their depot in the ultimate path of the fire that they were fighting, which they did not contain and which then, in one of those cruel twists of fate, burnt all of their possessions. It is an interesting thing to contemplate in the context of some of these loose suggestions, allegations and armchair expert opinions. The New South Wales Rural Fire

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