Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Since the devastating bushfire tore through the outskirts of the town of Toodyay in my electorate on the eve of New Year, residents have anxiously awaited the release of the EnergySafety WA report. Those anxious about the origin of the fire included young families without any insurance who lost their homes and possessions, and others who were underinsured. These are folk who will not be in a position to rebuild or replace what they have lost. The impact on them is unimaginable.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, it was thought that faulty powerlines were the most probable cause of the fire. This speculation was hardly surprising, as a fire in 2007 which cost the life of young school teacher, Ms Michelle Mack, was caused by clashing, sagging powerlines.

I have spoken in this place previously of the destruction that was left in the wake of the 2007 and now the 2009 fires, and the ongoing risk of an ageing power reticulation system. In this fire, one person was burnt, 38 homes were lost and many were damaged. Personal possessions were destroyed, 3,000 hectares of land, fencing and sheds were burnt, threatening the livelihood of many.

Gathered in the memorial hall on Friday the worst fears of many were realised when the EnergySafety report could not find any definitive evidence that a fault in the power reticulation system caused this fire. But a careful reading of the report will show that the inquiry was inconclusive; thus, the people of Toodyay continue to live with the frustration, uncertainty and indeed the ongoing threat of fires from this source.

The introduction and summary of the EnergySafety report made the following comments:

The Fire and Emergency Service Authority (FESA) notified EnergySafety on 29 December 2009 that the bushfire (FESA incident number 141266) originated in the vicinity of Western Power’s T303 spur overhead single-phase high voltage 12.7 kV power line.

                  …              …              …

EnergySafety has been unable to determine if electricity from Western Power’s distribution system caused the bushfire on 29 December 2009.

The residents of Toodyay have a long and painful recovery process ahead, and many are upset that their questions about the source of the fire have gone unanswered. The challenge remains though—that is, to rebuild lives. The public response has been exceedingly generous. However, I know that there is still work to do. I know from talking to the head of the recovery team, Mr Charlie Wroth, and the shire president, Mr Chris Firns, that cash donations are still very much needed to help people rebuild their homes and replace their possessions.

The town of Toodyay continues to be a thriving cultural centre. There are many who think that the town itself burnt down, and therefore visitors are staying away. But that is not the case. Toodyay is home to some of Western Australia’s earliest history and earliest buildings. Notwithstanding the bushfire, Toodyay and its immediate surrounds are as beautiful as ever, and the town buildings and the main street remain untouched by fire and are as charming as they have ever been. More importantly, the people of Toodyay have warm hearts and they are very friendly. They are looking forward to welcoming back to Toodyay many visitors to the town, so that they can continue to thrive and to get back on their feet.

I hope that anyone listening to this adjournment debate today will help the people of Toodyay get back on their feet by returning to the town in great number and helping the many folk there to rebuild their lives, and by enjoying that beautiful historic town and the many wonderful historic buildings and the lovely natural environment that the town has to offer. It is one of the older settlements in Western Australia and places like Connor’s Mill still stand today. It was one of the places that ground the colony’s first wheat into flour. We have no rice in Toodyay, I can assure you, but we have lots of productive farming land, including wheat, sheep, dairy, orchards and many other agricultural pursuits. We look forward to helping the people of Toodyay get back on their feet following this very devastating event in its history.

See this speech in context