Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're well and truly into the bushfire season, and I want to start by offering my condolences to those people who have lost family members, loved ones, friends, pets and possessions in the last few weeks. As we know, most states around the country have been affected by the bushfires. Last summer I had to stand up in this place and talk about the bushfire that affected my own community, in my seat of Franklin in Tasmania. You would have hoped, after what's been happening on the national scene and what happened in Tasmania last year, that our state Liberal government would be prepared for the fire season—but sadly not. Indeed, in our last round of Stronger Communities grants, I got volunteer fire brigades from my community to apply for grants for what is essential equipment—things like 'the jaws of life' for road accidents, things like UHF radios—to be able to do their volunteer work in the regional communities that I represent.

This is simply not good enough from the state Liberal government. I wrote to the minister and I got back some airy-fairy letter that said, 'We give the State Fire Commission all the resources it needs.' Clearly that is not happening. Clearly the volunteer fire brigades on the ground are not getting the essential equipment they need to keep Tasmanians safe. I urge the state Liberal government to do what it should have done months ago: implement the recommendations of previous bushfire inquiries in Tasmania and ensure that our volunteer fire brigades are well prepared for the fire season. I also, of course, call on people in my electorate, and all Tasmanians, to prepare their own properties, to do what is required to make their homes safe and to do everything they can to help the local fire brigades and emergency services to do the job that they do so, so well.

I've also been very concerned about the lack of response from the federal Liberal government. We've seen our leader, Anthony Albanese, write to the government about what is required to ensure that Australia—not just one state or territory but the whole nation—is prepared for the bushfire season. We know that, as a result of climate change, bushfire seasons are going to get more intense and longer, and we are going to need more equipment to ensure that Australians remain safe. It is the duty of the government to ensure that Australians remain safe. I call on the state Liberal government in Tasmania and the federal Liberal government to do everything within their power, everything they can, to keep Australians safe over this bushfire season. We've already seen that they haven't been able to do that with what has been occurring. We need to do everything we can. It is tragic. My own family was affected by a bushfire back in 1967, when my father's family home was destroyed. It is heartbreaking, and the repercussions go on for decades. We need to do everything we can, and we need to do more.