Thursday, 7 March 2024

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:23): (457) My question is for the Minister for Emergency Services. When storms lashed Victoria last month, many in communities like mine were unable to make calls to 000, and 39 Ambulance Victoria branches were without mains power. On 15 February the CEO of Bass Coast Health said on ABC radio that local residents were advised to drive themselves to emergency help. Minister, why are Victorians being told to drive themselves to hospitals and police stations because they cannot get through to 000?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:23): Dr Heath, I share your concerns about people’s inability to contact 000 during those emergencies, but what I want to clarify here is that it was not Triple Zero Victoria where the issue was. What it was was Telstra towers and other telecommunication towers where the power had gone out, and they either did or did not have appropriate backup systems, whether automatic ones or the ability to get generators to those particular towers to ensure that they could be activated for communication purposes. Separating out the fact that it is not a Triple Zero Victoria issue, it is atelecommunications issue, in my role in emergency services where that becomes more relevant is my role in helping the emergency management commissioner coordinate emergency response. The State Control Centre and the local ICCs in emergencies have representatives that are responsible for energy, telecommunications and a range of things, whether it is agriculture or education. Everybody comes together and determines the response to an emergency.

When it comes to communications, it is a vital, critical service, and therefore action was taken to ask the telecommunications companies and the energy companies: what did you need from an emergency services response to help you ensure you could put power back on and telecommunications back on? What the emergency management commissioner did was create a power and energy deputy controller in conjunction with the roads portfolio because we wanted to make sure that any access to those towers that were without power, which were impacting the ability of people to call 000, or ring anyone actually – that was the issue; it was not just a 000 issue, no-one could use their phones because the communications tower was out and they were blamed because the power was out.

I know that the Minister for Government Services is in conversations with telecommunications companies just the same as the minister for energy is in conversations with the power companies about making sure that their emergency services mitigation measures are up to scratch, making sure that they have generators available. As I said, our response was ensuring that the emergency response was prioritising access, clearing roads and the like to make sure that vehicles that could provide generators could attend, for example.

We rely on advice from the telecommunications companies about their assets in a disaster area. For example, when I flew over the fire out in the Grampians the air desk had –

Evan Mulholland interjected.

Jaclyn SYMES: I am explaining the emergency response to protecting critical assets. So from the air you could see that the air desk had directed the planes to put retardant – (Time expired)

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:27): I thank the minister for her response. Minister, what impact did the loss of power and connections to 000 have on Ambulance Victoria’s ability to attend to medical emergencies?

The PRESIDENT: I will let the minister answer if she wishes. I think the supplementary has gone to a bigger issue than the substantive, but I will let the minister answer as she sees fit.

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:27): Dr Heath, I think my broad response was addressing some of the issues that you have raised. Coming back to your substantive question in relation to Bass Coast, probably where I left off was the engagement with local councils as well, and also I would like to thank them. A lot of them set up with their generators the ability for people to come and access information, have a shower – all of the issues that were a response to being without power. A lot of that included advice in relation to how long it might take for 000 to be reconnected et cetera. But I can assure you that across government we understand the importance of communication in an emergency, and that is a priority. That is why there is a response at the time and also after the event, bringing in the power companies and bringing in the telecommunications companies to make sure that in any future emergencies there is the appropriate response to ensure that communications are a priority for people in a time of need, such as every emergency.