Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Ministers statements: fire and storm events

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:15): Carrying on from the question that I received from Ms Bath, it would be an appropriate time to update the house on the extreme weather events that impacted Victorians last week, and I know that many in the chamber have been directly impacted. We acknowledge at the outset that there are still almost 4000 households that are affected by power outages. Last week it was a catastrophic fire event. We warned people on the Monday that that is what we would likely see on Tuesday. It was the first such warning issued in Victoria under the new national warning system, and we experienced significant fires, wind gusts and storms – storms that were approaching almost a category 2 cyclone – and obviously power losses to more than half a million Victorians, with prolonged outages for many thousands. I would like to acknowledge also a dairy farmer in Mirboo North who sadly lost his life in the storm, someone that was a cherished member of that community.

On Wednesday the Premier and I visited Pomonal and Dadswells Bridge. In Pomonal there were 45 homes lost and a business. It is a devastation for that community. I want to thank the Horsham incident control centre, who coordinated response services to the fires, particularly Mark Gunning, who led the team up there. I also want to pay tribute to the many people who responded to the storms across Victoria, particularly emergency services, including SES, CFA, Forest Fire Management Victoria, FRV, Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria, as well as numerous strike teams, responders and many community members who all pulled up their sleeves and lent a hand. Any major disaster is challenging, but our emergency services were incredible. I want to thank Rick Nugent, Jason Heffernan, Tim Wiebusch, Chris Hardman and their teams for their amazing efforts, which are ongoing as we speak. SES have responded to more than 5660 requests for assistance since last Tuesday.

Storm impacts, as we know, are still being assessed, and there are focuses on what communities need right now. I would like to thank local members who have been on the ground feeding information, particularly Tom McIntosh, Melina Bath, Danny O’Brien, Daniela De Martino and Harriet Shing, among others. I know everyone is focused on helping their communities. Councils have been great. Many of them have opened relief locations for affected residents to use the internet, charge their phone or have a hot shower. We have also made emergency relief assistance payments available to those – (Time expired)