Page 4 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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We have also been very fortunate to have had the support of many interstate and international firefighters and SES volunteers to lend a hand over the past few weeks. Again, we cannot thank them enough for their selfless decision to respond to our call for assistance.
More broadly across the ACT public service, people have played their role to help the community during this extreme summer. I want to acknowledge our city services teams, who put in a lot of extra hours to clean up after the hailstorm and to prepare areas ahead of those peak fire events. The doctors and nurses in our hospitals and walk-in centres supported Canberrans impacted by smoke and heat. There were also staff that worked tirelessly to keep our city informed of what was happening, and where people could get help if they needed it. On behalf of the ACT government, I want to thank each of you for giving up time with your families throughout the summer to support our city and our community.
As difficult as it is to contemplate, what we have faced this summer will inevitably become more frequent over coming years and decades, significantly shaping our lives and this city. We must each do what we can, as a government, as a Legislative Assembly and as a community, to mitigate the risks of these extreme events happening again.
Our climate is changing, the science is clear, and we accept that there is a link between climate change and the severity and longevity of our bushfire season. But I can promise Canberrans that this year we will continue to lead the nation in taking positive action to reduce our impact on the climate. We will do this because it is the right thing to do.
We will also work hard to support our city as we move into the recovery phase. At this point we still do not know the full extent of the damage to Namadgi National Park, but it is likely that the ecological recovery will take years, if not decades. This is a precious part of the territory, and it will be given the appropriate action and support that it needs to support the regeneration of both fauna and flora—the wonderful qualities of this national park that Canberrans cherish.
There is also a need to reflect on what future bushfire seasons might hold for our emergency service agencies into the future. It is clear from this summer that we can no longer take a business as usual response to commonwealth and state and territory government relations when it comes to disaster management and fighting these sorts of huge, destructive bushfires.
The Council of Australian Governments is meeting next month. I will be taking the ACT’s experiences to this meeting and seeking to better coordinate between levels of government as we face these ongoing threats. Now is the time to fully explore what bushfire seasons that last for two-thirds or three-quarters of the year mean for our national and global coordination and resourcing arrangements.
What has been very clear in the feedback from the Canberra community is that Canberrans are very keen to show their gratitude to the men and women who risked
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