Thursday, 10 December 2020

Ministers statements: emergency services

Ms NEVILLE (Bellarine—Minister for Water, Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (14:24): I rise to update the house on the extensive work that our emergency services agencies have been doing in preparation for this summer. In September we started the process. I chaired the forums that are about summer preparedness with all our agencies, and it is about understanding where they are, what the challenges are and how they are ready to meet those challenges. These briefings included the CFA, Fire Rescue Victoria, Forest Fire Management, the SES, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), Life Saving Victoria, the Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria Police, the emergency services commissioner and the inspector-general for emergency management. What we know about the summer ahead is that we are likely to see flooding and we are also likely to see what they call a ‘normal’ fire season. That actually still means we are likely to have quite a substantial number of fires, particularly grassfires. But depending on rainfall levels, particularly in the west of the state, we actually may see some more potential for more challenging fires. For example, in the far south-west, Mallee, Wimmera and the north-east it is drier than normal and we have already experienced a number of grassfires.

So our agencies are prepared. The SES are ready for floods. We gave them some extra money to get their communities ready for floods as well. Fire agencies are ready with the equipment and the firefighters that they need, working closely, hand in hand, together. We have invested again in a record amount of aircraft—51 with access to up to 100. We have got our night bombing program further extended this season. Our budget has seen improvements in the VicEmergency app communications and warnings, funding for ESTA and Life Saving Victoria capacity this summer and marine and rescue services. We have also invested in new stations and equipment for the CFA. In fact our emergency services budget is now at $1.66 billion—a 58 per cent increase since we came to government. Our agencies are prepared. I want to thank each and every one of them for their efforts this year. They have had bushfires, it has been a tough year, they have done an extraordinary job, they have made us all proud and they are ready to protect Victoria this summer.