FORRESTFIELD–AIRPORT LINK —
FIREFIGHTING
574. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to reported concerns of the United Firefighters Union
of WA claiming that not enough firefighters have been trained to respond in the
event of an accident or fire emergency on the Forrestfield–Airport
Link. What has the minister done in response to those concerns, and is she
recklessly disregarding the risks posed by the long tunnel sections of the
Forrestfield–Airport Link?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI
replied:
The answer to the second
part of the question is no. The answer to the first part is that the Public
Transport Authority has been working very constructively with the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services in training firefighters and ensuring
that everything is ready to go on 9 October.
We know that the opposition does not like Metronet. We know
that members opposite have talked it down day upon day upon day. They walk
around wanting to be offended, wanting to hate things, and we know that they
hate Metronet; they hate the rail line to the airport. Member, we have been
working very hard across —
Dr D.J. Honey: It was our project!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: It is your project now! The Leader of
the Liberal Party should go and talk to the firefighters if it is his project.
Honestly—it is your project now! I get confused. One day it is a bad
project; on another day, it is a good project.
Dr D.J. Honey: It's badly managed.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI: This is an oppositional Liberal Party. What did
it do? It promised rail projects and never delivered. The Liberal Party
actually promised a rail line to the airport in 2012. That is what it did—it
promised a rail line to the airport in 2012. By the time we won the election in
2017, the tunnel boring machine had not even arrived. We started the project;
we got on with it. The Liberal Party promised the Metro Area Express light rail
and it never delivered, and it promised the
Ellenbrook rail line twice. Now members opposite want to undermine one of the
best projects that the state has ever
delivered. They have constantly been in here, undermining the workers on our
projects and the teams that are
delivering complex projects across the state. I remember you walked across
Matagarup Bridge and said that the work was shoddy. You criticised the
workers of WA.
The Public Transport Authority and the Department of Fire and
Emergency Services have been working very closely to make sure that everything
is ready to go, and I have full confidence in my agencies to deliver.