Page 3886 - Week 12 - Thursday, 29 October 2015
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I seek leave to make a statement in relation to the paper.
Leave granted.
MS BURCH: I am pleased to present the report on the review of the operations of the Emergencies Act 2004. Section 203 of the Emergencies Act requires that I review the operation of the act at five-yearly intervals and that I present a report on the review to this place within three months of the day that the review started.
The Emergencies Act established the legislative framework for emergency planning, prevention, response and recovery operations within the territory. The act seeks to protect and preserve life, property and the environment and to provide for effective and cohesive management by the emergency services commissioner of the four emergency services and the operational and administrative support providers.
Canberra’s status as the bush capital makes us uniquely vulnerable to natural disasters such as bushfires and extreme heat events. This necessitates that our emergency arrangements be of the highest order. The government is committed to ensuring that residents of the ACT are protected by well-resourced, high-quality, responsive emergency services.
This review has provided a valuable opportunity to take stock of our arrangements to ensure that we continue to deliver on that commitment. The review was supported by an extensive consultative process, and a discussion paper was publicly released for a wide variety of ACT government websites, internet and social media channels.
Stakeholders such as volunteer representatives, unions, the ACT Bushfire Council and the Conservation Council ACT Region were invited to contribute to the review. Submissions were also received from a number of members of the public. I would like to thank all the persons and organisations that have contributed to this review.
I am pleased to say that the review found our arrangements to be generally of a high quality and reflecting best practice. In terms of the Emergency Services Agency’s structure, the review found that the ACT model, a public service agency led by a single commissioner who provides strategic direction and oversight to the various emergency services within the agency, is increasingly being adopted by other jurisdictions.
The current model ensures a seamless and coordinated response across the agencies and services to crises and emergencies that face our community. The current model respects and values the identity and history of the four emergency services while delivering efficiencies and economies of scale in support services such as training and logistics.
The current ESA model is considered the most appropriate for the ACT. However, it has been noted by the ESA that on some occasions emergency service members may have adopted an operational silo approach. As you know, we made a number of amendments to the act in 2014, and those amendments strengthened the
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