Bushfire preparedness
Mr T BULL (Gippsland East) (11:14): My question is to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Last week the Treasurer announced this Labor government will be imposing $4 billion of cuts and said he is looking at every line item. Over the past five years your government has cut spending on hazard reductions, including planned burns, by 64 per cent. Minister, can you now guarantee that spending on planned burns will not be further slashed as a result of your government’s $4 billion in cuts?
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (11:15): I thank the member for Gippsland East for his question, and unequivocally the member is wrong—he is absolutely wrong. We are a government that increases resources and has increased resources to fire services, including of course forest fire management. The figures speak for themselves, and whichever way those opposite want to cut it, it does not stack up. The fact is we have put in more money than any other government in the history of fire management. Even just having a look at the time that we have been in government we have gone from a budget of $108.5 million to this current financial year of $121.68 million. Our government is very clear: we have increased services and we have increased funding.
Mr Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, in relation to relevance, when you are talking about the figures of direct action for the planned burns and hazard reduction in Victoria, the actual figures are $50.2 million and reduced to $18.2 million on direct action. The minister is misleading the house.
The SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order.
Ms D’AMBROSIO: I am happy to compare our record any day to those opposite because all they have done is cut funds to frontline services fighting fires, undermining our firefighting services—cut $66 million. Under our government, resources have gone up and they will continue to be supported at record levels.
Mr T Bull: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, my question related to spending—not what has been budgeted for, what has been spent—and spending on burns has reduced over the past four years. The minister ought to come back to answering that element of the question that was asked.
The SPEAKER: Order! The minister is being relevant to the question that was put to her. The minister has concluded her answer.
Mr T BULL (Gippsland East) (11:17): For years Mr Doug Reidy has begged the government to undertake planned burns on the reserves that adjoin his Murrindal property, which is just north of Buchan, but the answer has always been no. On 30 December Mr Reidy lost the fight for his house and his farm, which were both destroyed by fire. Minister, can you guarantee that because of your budget cuts there will not be more people like Mr Reidy who will lose their homes and livelihoods as a result of a lack of planned burns?
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (11:18): I thank the member for Gippsland East for the supplementary question. Protecting lives, protecting property and protecting the environment are more than just about planned burning. Planned burning is one tool over a number of different tools that are available and supported by our government in terms of forest fire management.
Ultimately we have to thank all of those thousands of people who have been fighting the fires this summer and continue to do so because of the number of properties that have been saved compared to the number that have been lost. Even though it is an absolute tragedy that we have lost a number of properties, the overwhelming thousands of homes and properties that have been saved within the fire footprint has been phenomenal—and those people ought to be thanked and supported rather than attacked. Our government will always support these people—more resources, more funding and backing them when they need it most.