Page 2618 - Week 08 - Thursday, 30 June 2005
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of the McLeod report was new emergency services headquarters. When the report was handed down the government’s response was that it will implement all of the recommendations. Other priorities, such as the arboretum, are obviously now taking precedence.
Mr Hargreaves: Don’t you like it?
MR SESELJA: I had to mention it, John; I know it is one of your favourites. All sorts of other priorities, a number of which we have identified in our dissenting report, have taken precedence and the question is now when this promise will ever be delivered. In January we had a communications blackout during a quite severe storm and Mr Hargreaves’s response was that it was because of scheduled testing. It is clear that the current headquarters are not up to scratch, but there do not appear to be new headquarters on the horizon.
Another issue of concern was in relation to community fire units. Having promised 80, I think only 28 have been delivered to date. This was another priority which has been pushed back. There is no doubt—and I do not think there is anyone here who would suggest otherwise—that the community fire units are a significant priority. We see spending on things, some of which, as we have said, are good things in themselves; but when we see priority being given to things like the real-time information service ahead of things to protect vulnerable bushfire affected suburbs, there is concern in the community. Mr Pratt has raised this issue a number of times and it continues to be a concern.
Issues around FireLink also emerged from the estimates process. There were some questions asked but nothing was established. It is unfortunate that this, like many other issues, was shut down by both the chair and, I think, the minister. That is disappointing. We saw that on many issues. That is another example of where the committee was not able to dig as much as it should have been able to to get to the truth of matters.
The constant refrain that, “You can put your questions on notice” is really no answer at all when we know that we could bypass the whole estimates process and not put any questions to ministers; we could put them all on notice and save ourselves the trouble. Of course, as anyone who has been involved in the process knows, it sometimes takes a few questions and a few pearls of wisdom from someone like Mr Hargreaves to really enlighten an issue and display areas of government mismanagement. Unfortunately on many occasions that was shut down. One of the things we have seen is that Mr Hargreaves likes to trot himself out in front of a fire tanker, helicopter or some sort of equipment. We know that ministers love doing that, and they love turning the first sod.
Mr Hargreaves: I haven’t turned a sod!
MR SESELJA: It would be helpful if this minister focused on some of the real issues of concern in the emergency services area. You continue to enjoy yourself, Mr Hargreaves, but make sure you are delivering for the people of Canberra the kinds of services in the emergency services area that are needed, especially in light of the 2003 bushfires. I would like to restate that the issues of real concern were the failure to respond to the McLeod report and the failure to provide the CFUs as promised. We look forward to the government picking up its act in the next budget and delivering on some of the promises
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