Thursday, 7 March 2024

Bushfire preparedness

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:35): (459) My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. For 60 years the BOM used the McArthur forest fire danger ratings to provide fire weather warnings. Labor has now replaced this successful warning system with the fire behaviour index. Emergency Management Victoria now issues warnings based on the fire behaviour index. What evidence did the minister receive to advise this change?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:36): Ms Bath, you are conflating my role as Minister for Emergency Services. You have indicated practices from the Bureau of Meteorology, which is a federal government agency. It is great that we have them present in the State Control Centre, because they are invaluable in providing advice about weather predictions and fire index concerns, which then the fire analysers can use to inform operational decisions. It is not a decision that I make, and when you talk about the fire rating system, that is a national approach. It is not a Victoria-only system. Every state has bought into it. It is a national system. Given in the last three weeks we have had two catastrophic days and we have had extreme days that have resulted in emergency situations impacting communities, having that advice and being able to provide warnings to communities saves lives. I am very proud of the emergency services response and all of those that support it, from the BOM to the analysts to the planners to the logistics people. They are all there to protect Victorians, and I thank them for their work.

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:38): Thank you, Minister. Minister, comparing the two models for the date of 28 February, according to Australian bushfire scientist David Packham, for Horsham on the 28th – the McArthur rating system was the warning system that Emergency Management Victoria put out to the public in the past – the new fire behaviour rating was forecast at 99. The rating of the previous one, the McArthur system, was 56 for that day – if it had have been issued previously. This day now was at 99, leading to a catastrophic warning. Under the same weather conditions, will there be more catastrophic warnings using the new system compared to the McArthur system?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:39): I am a little concerned about the framing of your questions and the foundation of your concern. Warnings go out to ensure that people are provided information and can activate their fire plans and make sure that they can make plans in relation to responding to hopefully what does not occur. But being able to warn people about these concerns is absolutely integral. We have had three catastrophic days in the last 10 years under the current system. If you trace back to the past 10 years, it is only three days under both the old system and the current system that were deemed catastrophic. I cannot tell you what the future weather patterns are. The BOM are very good at that; that is their expertise. But going forward we do know that there will be more frequent, more severe weather events. I am very glad that we have a predictive tool and those that can interpret the advice that we get from the BOM to provide appropriate warnings for fire, flood, storms, tsunamis and earthquakes so that the Victorian public can respond appropriately and our emergency services can prepare and protect.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Before I call the next question can I acknowledge in the gallery a former member of the Assembly, former Speaker of the Assembly and the toughest committee chair I ever worked with, Judy Maddigan.