Page 2613 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 10 August 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
As for the Rural Fire Service, Val Jeffery MLA spoke in his maiden speech in this place just recently about the increased red tape and bureaucratic nature that has been overlaid onto our Rural Fire Service and how this bureaucratic approach has hamstrung those who live in rural regions, who have the most to lose and who understand innately the challenges and the dangers as well as the methods and operational requirements of their unique environment. Sometimes those on our rural properties have intergenerational knowledge of the way our land behaves and our weather interacts with it; of the unique challenges of the landscapes that they have lived with, farmed or lived around, operate and respond to. The wealth of local knowledge and understanding of bushfire preparedness seems to have been eroded. It is a classic case of the left of politics believing that only governments and advisers know best and have all the answers.
The reason I have called on the government to create a culture of confidence in our emergency service men and women is to ensure that those on the front line know that they are not only equipped but supported by their government to undertake their roles. They put their bodies and their hearts on the line. Their families let them go and do that for our benefit. The feedback I have had from so many on the front line of the ESA is that they do not feel backed, they do not feel supported, they do not feel they have the confidence that the minister is behind them; that every time they turn around there is another attack on morale or on a knowledge base that they have built up, and they do not believe that the government is backing them up. They feel as though their hard work goes unrecognised and is never enough and that the government is always looking for more ways to cut costs in this area.
In March last year a report was handed to government, a report commissioned from an apparent expert. This expert is now on an executive contract and is referred to by some as a toe cutter. It seems a medieval kind of term. The report was a peer review of ACT Fire and Rescue Service management and command structures. Interestingly enough the reputation of the expert asked to prepare this report and to do the analysis is someone who cuts most savagely. He was described in the Canberra Times as “Former Buckinghamshire fire chief … is set to [head] the … structural reform agenda … to drive efficiency in the ambulance, fire, and state emergency services”. He was also expected to solve cultural tensions in the call centre.
I would like to suggest to the minister that cultural tension is not always a negative. My husband served this country for many years in the military and for the last few years has been successfully deployed inside the public service as a person in uniform. The cultural tension that is created to some extent by putting uniformed and non-uniformed people together is a creative one. It is a productive one. It means that those who are not front-line operational receive advice, thoughts, information and cultural experience from those who have been in uniform, and vice versa. It allows there not to be a breakdown between different areas, those who are working predominantly as public servants versus those who are in uniform. It is a good tension, and civil and uniformed people working together can get the best outcomes and very many times can stave off problems before they occur.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video