Page 4118 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 16 Sept 2009
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from the nationally consistent system used in New South Wales and the rest of Australia.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (6.19): This is a bill which attempts to address the clear need for a better way to distribute bushfire warnings and information. The Greens fully support that goal and understand that Australians have always relied on governments and fire services in times of bushfire danger. That reliance is only going to increase if our already dry continent continues to dry. We need to have the very best possible system of communicating warnings and information during the bushfire season.
That said, the Greens will not be supporting this bill today. That may seem to run counter to what I have just said, but, as members will be aware, since Mr Smyth tabled this bill we have seen a change at the federal level where Australia has been delivered a national bushfire warning system. So the Greens will not be supporting this bill—not because we disagree with what it seeks to achieve but because a uniform national system now achieves the same intent as Mr Smyth’s bill delivers.
In seeking to meet that goal of better distribution of information, Mr Smyth’s bill mandated that the minister must issue a bushfire warning for days when the fire danger index was rated very high and above. I congratulate and thank Mr Smyth for his work in attempting to meet the community need for better information and I welcome his initiative in acting on this issue. The Liberals saw the way forward that was required not only by the ACT but also by Australia and acted on that belief. That belief, I think, has now been vindicated.
This need to distribute information has been highlighted by the Victorian inquiry into the disastrous bushfires last summer. Time and time again we have heard stories of how people were not well enough informed and did not know the fires were going to impact on their homes, their communities and their properties. This lack of information had deadly results, which we are all very well aware of.
But, as members will also be aware, Australia has been delivered a national bushfire warning system that does better distribute information. It will do it in a uniform way across all jurisdictions, and that uniformity is very important for something as vital as bushfire warnings.
However, mandating that the relevant minister in each jurisdiction “must” send out bushfire warnings does not meet the need; rather, it sets up a national emergency warning system and plans to make use of telephone alerts through mobile phones and landlines. Such a system will communicate directly with identified individuals and communities who are in danger and in need of information. They will receive the warnings and information as they are updated.
An Australia-wide, uniform system of bushfire warnings is incredibly valuable. Something as important as a bushfire warning system needs to be set up on a national basis, in my view. It is regrettable that we had the Victorian bushfires last summer before we had been able to get a uniform national system. Nevertheless, we have one now and the Greens intend to support that fully.
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