Page 2042 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 2020
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With the impact of COVID-19 likely to last for some time, we are facing future interconnected and compounding risks and the occurrence of compounding and consecutive disasters will be more likely. Community multi-risk resilience across multiple hazards and extended times will be key to preparedness. This will require coordinated Government, community and non-Government efforts to build resilience.
The individual recommendations arising from this report encompass four broad themes. Recommendations focused on key updates to the Emergencies Act 2004, the emergency plan and supporting subplans; improvements recommended to whole-of-government emergency management systems and processes; approaches to strengthening key relationships across the ACT government and with federal and non-government entities; and the delivery of a regular and supporting exercise and testing program at a strategic as well as operational level.
This review does two things. It provides comfort that we responded to this year’s extraordinary bushfire season in an effective and professional manner and highlights areas of best practice; and it recognises that we should not rest on our laurels, providing recommendations aimed at continuous learning and improvement so that we are even better prepared if and when there is a next time.
Madam Speaker, the response framework, preparedness and investments by this government helped us navigate what was a difficult season. That is not to say that things cannot be done better in future. Mr Johnson’s report outlines four recommendations to improve the Emergencies Act 2004. These are: more flexibility in the appointment of the emergency controller; provision for a deputy emergency controller to be appointed, independent of the initial appointment of an emergency controller; provision for the granting of powers, including delegations, to the emergency controller upon their appointment, and for them to remain in place under the same section of the act for the duration of their appointment; and clarity around the emergency controller’s powers to direct agencies and directorates to share personal information for the preservation of life and the protection of Canberrans.
The government has accepted these recommendations. The bill before us today seeks the Assembly’s concurrence to make amendments to the Emergencies Act 2004 to implement these recommendations.
Noting this government’s commitments to human rights, the bill also makes amendments to strengthen the human rights framework of the Emergencies Act 2004. These amendments were developed in consultation with the Human Rights Commission and ensure that there is a robust emergency management framework in place that is consistent with the principles of the Human Rights Act.
The bill also strengthens the exemptions that apply across the ACT legislation register for persons acting under the control of the emergency controller. This ensures that those persons can respond effectively to any emergency situation without fear of inadvertently breaching the requirements of, or committing an offence under, any other act.
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