VOLUNTEER AND CAREER
FIRE AND RESCUE STATIONS
1120. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the minister representing the
Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to findings contained in the
fourth report of the Auditor General of Western Australia tabled in the
Legislative Council on 30 August 2018—tabled paper 1694—which
found that the minister's decision to withhold information from
Parliament with respect to future planning of volunteer and career fire
stations ''not reasonable and therefore not appropriate'', and I ask
again —
(1) What planning
and criteria does the state government reply upon to determine future need of
volunteer and career fire services?
(2) Please table the strategic asset
plan of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
(3) Which
locations have been identified as the next priority locations for volunteer and
career fire and rescue service stations?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following information has been provided to me
by the Minister for Emergency Services.
(1) When planning
for career and volunteer fire stations, DFES examines a number of factors,
including population changes, industry and urban development, infrastructure
growth, bushfire risk and any other associated risks.
(2) The
information contained in the strategic asset management plan informs the budget
deliberations of cabinet and may be released through the normal budgetary
process. DFES followed the advice provided by the Department of Treasury that
the SAMP developed as part of the annual budget process is to be marked as
cabinet-in-confidence and as such it was not appropriate to release the
information requested.
(3) The next
priority location for a career fire station replacement is Kensington career
fire and rescue station. For volunteer stations, they are Gingin Volunteer Fire
and Rescue Service, Halls Creek Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service,
Northampton VFRS and Margaret River VFRS.