Page 2041 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 2020
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started easily and were difficult to contain. The ACT was no exception to this, experiencing several months of thick smoke from fires in the surrounding regions, a damaging hailstorm and, of course, fires themselves. These events culminated in the ACT’s worst bushfire season since 2003.
While it was a challenging time for many, I praise the efforts of the ESA, the ACT government directorates and external organisations who supported the ESA in ensuring the safety of the ACT community during this time. I also want to thank and recognise the efforts of volunteers who played, and will continue to play, a crucial role when our territory needed help.
In April 2020 we announced our intent to undertake a whole-of-government review to complement the already commenced internal operational reviews being undertaken within the ESA and other government directorates. In presenting this review, it is important to take note of what the ESA Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ray Johnson, reflects on in his report:
… in emergencies such as bushfires, many good, capable and dedicated people step up and take responsibility for dealing with the emergency on behalf of their community. They may be paid or unpaid; they might be on a fire appliance, in an ambulance, engaging with the public or holding a leadership role … Those decent and capable people who make decisions and act in good faith almost never have the same luxury of time afforded to those of us undertaking a review. Their decisions and actions are often progressed in difficult and unfamiliar situations, when working in uncertain environments and often without the benefit of full situational awareness—
or hindsight—
As such, it would be a mistake to examine any deficiency observed through the lens of individual fault and blame. Good decisions come from wisdom, knowledge and experience. It is reasonable to accept that decision makers and action takers in an emergency do so in good faith and to the best of their abilities. It is also reasonable for them to expect that when they do so, their professional reputation and self-worth are not at risk should things not go precisely to plan. Deficiencies in a response or identified areas of improvement should be examined in the context of improving the emergency management system, unless there is objective evidence of negligence. There needs to be an acknowledgement that there will always be opportunities for improvement …
He also said that we need our organisations to have a culture of continuous improvement and review, facilitated by open and honest dialogue about how we can do better. The report further stated:
With multiple emergency events during the 2019-20 bushfire season the economic—
and socio-economic—
cost to the ACT Community was extensive …
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