FIRE DANGER RATING
SYSTEM
785. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the Minister for Emergency Services:
From today, a new fire danger rating
system has been introduced to WA with four rating levels—moderate,
high, extreme and catastrophic—replacing the previous six, with the
Bureau of Meteorology hoping it will deliver more localised and accurate
information.
(1) By what date will all fire
danger rating system signs across WA be replaced?
(2) What is the total signage replacement budget?
(3) Given this is
vital information for local communities, what budget has been specifically
allocated towards educating the public on what the four new ratings mean?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Local
governments have commenced the removal of signage and we expect the majority of
signs will be replaced by the start of the southern fire season, notionally 1 December
2022.
(2) Following the
closure of the tender process, an updated total of $500 000 has been allocated
to support local governments with signage replacement.
(3) A total of
$1.6 million, including the above figure, has been allocated to educate the
public about the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System.
The honourable member, like other
members, would have got some information from my office yesterday about the
changes. I look forward to her copying her colleague Hon Dr Brian Walker in
helping educate her constituents about this much-needed change.