Page 23 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 28 February 2007
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cabinet submission made. The coroner discovered a full list of what was discussed at that cabinet meeting on 16 January.
She found a number of things. The weather forecast for the coming five days was alarming. That was accurate, wasn’t it? We all know that. I am not going to read out everything, but I will read out the salient ones. The fires were formidable in size and growing. That was obvious, wasn’t it? There was a warning of the potential for spotting from the McIntyres Hut fire in the event of stronger winds from the north-west, and such winds were predicted for the ensuing days. That happened, didn’t it? There was a warning that spotting from the McIntyres Hut fire had the potential to seriously affect ACT pine forests and the urban area. It was noted that the McIntyres Hut fire was already one to two kilometres from the nearest forest—danger signals, guys—and that spotting can occur over several kilometres. Indeed, we heard during the fires and after that spotting can go on for about 10 kilometres.
She found that among the areas—or assets, as they were called—that were listed as being under potential threat were rural leases and the urban edge. She found that Dunlop and the suburbs of Weston Creek were mentioned as being at greatest risk. There was discussion about assistance from the state emergency services, if necessary, around the urban areas. There were references made to “urban periphery” and “urban firefighters”. There was discussion of the procedures for declaring a state of emergency and the situation in which this would need to be done. Indeed, the likelihood of a state of emergency needing to be declared was assessed as between 40 and 60 per cent. There was discussion of major infrastructure loss. There was discussion of the need to recall cabinet in the event that decisions had to be made to abandon or protect specific property or assets. In terms of the cabinet meeting, if members look at, I think, page 232 of volume I they will see on page 2 of the cabinet briefing a list of issues, with clear reference to the urban edge, amongst other things.
Surely, Mr Speaker, such advice would raise questions in your mind. Chief Minister, what questions did you ask? Did you get specific answers? If not, did you press those questions? Did you ask, for example, what the contingency plan was in case the risk became a reality? The coroner found:
No specific warnings were issued to people living in those areas identified as being at greatest risk, and no general information about the serious risk was made known to the people of Canberra.
Why didn’t you warn us, Chief Minister?
We do not know why Mr Stanhope’s administration was so wanting in understanding the information it was receiving, particularly in the cabinet briefing on 16 January, which included a warning that the fires could reach the suburbs of Canberra. They were so unconscious of the danger, apparently, that the emergency services minister went on leave, leaving Mr Stanhope to take over the day before the fires hit and when fire conditions were extreme.
It is interesting, members, that other agencies, such as Actew, prepared for the fires to make an incursion into the urban area. Actew ordered in new electricity poles in the days before the firestorm. I understand the figure was some 3,000. We know
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