Page 2043 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 2020
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Madam Speaker, it is important to note that these amendments will not change the service the ACT community receives from the ESA before, during or after an emergency incident. Rather, the amendments enhance the ESA’s ability to manage an emergency incident such as that witnessed during the last bushfire season.
Before closing, it is important to take this opportunity to reflect on the independent operational review commissioned by the ESA. As I indicated earlier, during the 2019-20 bushfire season, a season that took lives and left a trail of destruction across Australia, Canberrans remained informed and safe. We are extremely proud of this achievement and of the efforts of everyone who contributed to this outcome.
As with any major incident, there is a need to review, learn and improve. The ESA Commissioner, Georgeina Whelan, gave a personal commitment to do this by proactively initiating the first step, with a comprehensive series of internal reflections and debriefs or 360-degree feedback from those involved in keeping Canberra safe this season. Some dubbed these the after-action reviews. The 360-degree feedback formed part of the operational review.
Findings from the ESA’s independent operational review have identified that there were a lot of great wins for the agency, as well as areas for improvement. From the onset of all the various reviews, both the commissioner and I were clear that, while the response was excellent, we would use the reviews to learn and improve.
While the independent operational review focused on improvements in responding to bushfires, recommendations can be implemented to improve operations across the ESA for all hazards. Some of these recommendations can be addressed immediately, while others require long-term planning and consultation with stakeholders or may be impacted by the outcomes of other reviews, including the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, due to report on 28 October 2020.
Prior to the findings being released, the ESA had already begun work to prioritise and address concerns raised by members of the ACT Rural Fire Service. I encourage volunteers and staff to continue to share their valuable experiences and opinions; it is how we can ensure that we are prepared for the next season. This is how the agency can improve on matters raised, such as: training programs; communication channels from the incident management team, the IMT, to the fireground; greater opportunity to undertake roles within the IMT; and, importantly, managing fatigue of the emergency workforce. I also encourage all volunteers to take advantage of training opportunities and undertake the courses necessary to qualify for the roles they are interested in.
Once again, I want to acknowledge the many sacrifices our volunteers and staff made throughout the 2019-20 storm and bushfire season and congratulate them for keeping us all safe. I also want to thank all those who assisted or supported the response and all those who contributed to the review of the 2019-20 bushfire season.
Madam Speaker, all Canberrans are proud of the efforts that so many individuals put in to keep our city safe. I want to join them in again thanking these marvellous
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