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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 10 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3695 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

accelerate existing outstanding communications programs. A number of communication requirements that were identified as urgent in 2001 and 2002 are yet to be finalised.

It is not clear in the Appropriation Bill whether that funding has been allocated to address current communications compatibility weaknesses across all ACT agencies and between those agencies and their New South Wales cousins. Answers that were supplied to questions asked about this matter at estimates committee hearings were very vague. We therefore call on the government to focus its funding, to expedite outstanding operational communications needs and to fast-track the acquisition process. We invite the government to come back to the Assembly, if necessary, to seek further authority to fast-track these most important issues. The government has a responsibility to the Canberra community to do that.

I refer to the government's education and information program. The government's new initiative-its information booklet-appears to be quite useful. However, no specific supplementary information is provided for each vulnerable suburb, illustrating threat areas or dangerous fire approaches around the fringes and internal green areas. Information could also have been provided about relevant evacuation routes for each suburb after taking into account different fire scenarios. We call on the government to redirect funding from this Appropriation Bill to meet that vital need.

We are not confident that sufficient funding and resources have been set aside for bushfire education in schools-yet another vital program to assist in bushfire prevention. We are not confident that this government is determined to ramp up regular school bushfire education. Funding has been allocated for the acquisition of new medium-size tankers, but insufficient funding appears to have been allocated for light tankers. Additionally, specific funding must be identified for the enhancement of the RAFT capability.

The Minister for Police and Emergency Services must confirm whether the downgraded air surveillance allocation-the allocation in this budget is less than the allocation in previous budgets-has been reinstated. Does the minister intend to increase the air surveillance and early interdiction water bombing capability? During the estimates committee hearings these questions, along with a number of others, clearly were not answered. Our early interdiction capability has to be upgraded. The important early suppression of fire outbreaks is a major weakness in the ACT bushfire emergency system. All those capabilities, which fall into the early interdiction capability, must attract priority.

During the estimates committee hearings I was not confident that sufficient funding had been earmarked to improve urgently needed upgrades to tracks, and the bridges on those tracks, around the bushland fringe. We now know that there was a major problem in the recent past, certainly on the western side of the Murrumbidgee, for all types of emergency vehicles gaining access into our parks and rural areas. I assume that the same obstacles still exist in bushland and fringe park areas across the city. (Extension of time granted.) We call on the minister to ensure that sufficient funding is available for that purpose.

We readily accept that this Appropriation Bill is necessary. It contains some good recommendations and initiatives. However, the government's proposed program appears

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