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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 95 asked in the Legislative Council on 20 February 2019 by Hon Colin De Grussa

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

PLANNING — BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT — MT HELENA

95. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the minister representing the Minister for Emergency Services:

In the Department of Fire and Emergency Services' submission to the Western Australian Planning Commission regarding the proposed Mt Helena urban precinct—WAPC MRS 1277/57—DFES states that evacuation options are limited, traverse extreme bushfire risk areas or are not available, making access and egress options uncertain during a bushfire event. I refer to the comments made by the minister in response to a question in the other place, in which he states —

I have been on Google maps. I have taken the information from the minister. I have looked at the access and egress for emergency vehicles.

(1) Does Google maps have access to more information about the Mt Helena urban precinct than the Department of Fire and Emergency Services had when preparing its submission?

(2) Does Google maps provide more accurate information than the Department of Fire and Emergency Services about bushfire evacuation routes?

(3) Should Western Australian residents rely on Google maps over the advice of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services when being evacuated due to a bushfire or other natural disaster?

Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1)–(3) No. The premise of the question is misleading when presented out of context. The minister's remarks were part of a holistic explanation of DFES's advisory role in the planning process as stated in the answer. Please refer to Minister Logan's response to questions without notice 50 and 51 asked on Thursday, 14 February 2019.