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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Wednesday, 10 March 2004) . . Page.. 1017 ..

I am at this stage comfortable with the way the government is moving ahead. The reason I am comfortable is because I understand that the government has consulted more than 1000 of the 1400 or so bushfire victims face to face. Most of these 1,000 victims who have been contacted face to face agree with the next phase of the bushfire recovery process.

I have some statistics that people may not be aware of and I thought it important to bring them to the chamber today. Of the over 1,000 clients that the recovery centre had—and these were bushfire recovery clients—there remain 20 who require intensive support and 80 who have decisions to make that are not necessarily problems but with which the recovery task force is assisting. So there are approximately 100 clients remaining of the more than 1,000 who were on the books.

That represents 7½ per cent of those who were originally affected by the bushfires. Even though there are approximately 100 clients remaining, 20 of whom require intensive support, all will continue to be supported by the bushfire support unit. The other thing that I have managed to find through this consultation is that the letter that went out advising the householders followed the consultation with the more than 1,000 people who were happy with the progress and the change in the way things were handled. There is also a brochure that has been given to all those victims of the bushfires. As I understand it, if I, as a bushfire victim, have a concern, everything will be centralised and I can ring a number and state what my concern is and I will then be put through to the people who can assist me, or I am given the information.

No one is going to be neglected or forgotten. This is what I am advised. No one is going to be dropped like a hot potato or considered to be old news. I believe the information that I have been given is true and I support the Chief Minister’s amendment to Mr Smyth’s motion, which again I must stress is an admirable motion. In fact, it has made us think about this issue again today, and it is a very important issue. So Mr Smyth should be commended for this motion. But on the advice that I have been given, I am confident that the bushfire victims, those who remain and any who may surface who have not come up in the last 13 months, will be taken care of.

If they are not, we are here and we do have a date on this. The Chief Minister has to report back to this Assembly by the last sitting day in May. If there are people out there who feel that they have been neglected, if there are people out there who have come to any of you and said “Mr Smith has been forgotten or has not been looked after properly”—because no one has come to me and said it—then there are 17 people in this place whom they can come to. And I do not believe that any member in this chamber would not help a victim of the bushfires, let alone anyone from the community.

So on the advice that I have been given this afternoon, I am confident that the government is handling this in a responsible way. If, however, there are members of the community who feel that they have not been handled properly, then they should feel free to contact members of this Assembly. Given, however, that the government’s consultation has been comprehensive—and I am impressed that they have managed to contact over 1,000 victims face to face, which is rather an incredible task—at this stage I will support Mr Stanhope’s amendment to Mr Smyth’s admirable motion and we will wait and see.

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