Wednesday 20 March 2019 Madam Speaker, Ms Hickey¸ took the Chair at 10 a.m. acknowledged the Traditional People and read Prayers. QUESTIONS Investigation into Alleged Historic Sex Abuse - Mr Rene Hidding Ms WHITE question to PREMIER, Mr HODGMAN [10.04 a.m.] You have desperately tried to convince Tasmanians that you are the leader of a stable majority Government. In fact, you are in charge of a chaotic government that reached such depths of bedlam last week and last month that you took the extraordinary step to prorogue this parliament. Serious allegations of historic sexual abuse of a child have recently been made against your former ministerial colleague and your choice for the Speaker of this parliament, Mr Hidding, six years after they were first raised in 2013. Can you explain why, after these claims of historic sex abuse were made to the police six years ago, the first person the alleged victim heard from was allegedly Mr Hidding. On 23 February you said you referred this matter to the Tasmania Police. Can you outline the scope of the current investigation and confirm it will include the events of six years ago, now that these serious allegations have been raised again in both the media and directly with your office? ANSWER Madam Speaker, I ask that all members exercise caution in relation to what are serious matters that are appropriately being investigated by Tasmania Police. It is not for me, or any member opposite to direct or seek to influence investigations that should be appropriately undertaken by Tasmania Police. The Leader of the Opposition in her question referred to one matter being the subject of an allegation, and there are allegations of a serious nature that have been made and which should also be subject to proper process, including investigation, by Tasmania Police. I make the point as well that Mr Hidding has strenuously denied the allegations made against him and, as any person is entitled to, he has the presumption of innocence. These are all cornerstone matters that must be considered in the context of this issue. As I have said, I was first made aware of these matters on reading the reports about them in the newspaper. My prompt, swift action was to refer the matter to the police for them to investigate and for them to determine the nature of that investigation and the scope of it. I will allow them to do so. 1 20 March 2019 In relation to why this matter was not allegedly taken up back in 2013 when it was apparently or allegedly brought to the attention of the police, which I note that they had no record of, is a matter for Tasmania Police. As that allegation was made in 2013, and the then minister for police was David O'Byrne, perhaps you should ask him. Investigation into Alleged Historic Sex Abuse - Mr Rene Hidding Ms WHITE question to PREMIER, Mr HODGMAN [10.04 a.m.] Your long-term colleague, Mr Hidding, recently resigned under a significant cloud following an allegation of historic sexual abuse of a child. Your response to these allegations was typically weak with little regard for the survivor of the alleged claim. Now that these allegations are the focus of a police investigation, can you confirm that you and your staff and other members of your Government and Cabinet are cooperating with police? Have you, your ministerial colleagues or members of you staff, been interviewed by police on this serious matter? ANSWER Madam Speaker, I utterly reject any assertion that allegations which, from the outset I have described as very serious, are not being handled appropriately. It is an outrageous and baseless claim by the Leader of the Opposition. Second, in relation to any inquiry or investigation by the police, I and any other members of Government and staff will assist in those inquiries. I have not been interviewed by Tasmania Police but I expect that any of my colleagues, any of my staff, anyone else who is required to by the police would do so willingly. This is a most sensitive and serious matter. This again shows the lack of judgment and the lack of leadership by the Leader of the Opposition, that they are so carefree. If they were that concerned about the individuals concerned in this matter, the parties affected by it including the alleged victim, the complainant, then they would not raise this matter in the way that the Leader of the Opposition has this morning. Climate-Related Fire Events - Resourcing Ms O'CONNOR question to PREMIER, Mr HODGMAN [10.08 a.m.] Last Friday, an estimated 8000 passionate, frightened young Tasmanians gathered on parliament's lawns to demand action on climate. Yesterday you laid out your Government's agenda for the next three years and climate did not even rate a mention, yet you did touch on the bushfires, without acknowledging climate change, 2 20 March 2019 towards the end of your speech. People have lost their homes and their livelihoods and, as we speak, the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is still burning. More than 3 per cent of the state has been torched. It is a fact that your Government failed to adopt and resource all the recommendations of the Dr Tony Press review and then made a decision to ignore a cost-neutral plan from the Firefighters Union for stronger, more effective remote firefighting response. This summer is likely to be another scorcher with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a 70 per cent chance of El Niño event. Will you commit to ensuring the resourcing that is commended and required to limit the damage caused by climate-related fire events in this May's state budget? ANSWER Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Clark for her question. Of course, climate change is an important issue for this Government, which is why we have released strategies, policies and initiatives to deal with it in a practical way. The Minister for the Environment will have more to say about these matters, as we will as a government over the coming weeks, months and years. We take these matters seriously. We recognise that a government response is appropriate. It is under this Government that we have made not only significant investments dealing with matters relating to our climate and the environment. We were one of the first jurisdictions to be emissions zero. We were actually net emissions state, which is a positive advancement for Tasmania, we are leading the world in many respects, and we intend to continue to do so. We are increasing our efforts with respect to our fire response. The current fire season will be the subject of a review - Ms O'Connor - There have already been three reviews. Madam SPEAKER - Ms O'Connor, warning one. Mr HODGMAN - appropriately so. We have reacted and responded to the last fire event. One of the most significant things we have done, which is normally the subject of criticism by the Greens, is fuel reduction burning. Ms O'CONNOR - Point of order, Madam Speaker. The question to the Premier is: will he commit to providing the necessary resources in this May's state budget? Madam SPEAKER - Thank you. I believe the Premier heard that. Mr HODGMAN - With our Budget in good shape - much better than it was in your government - we are able to do more, including in responding to the fire threat. We have done so with a $55 million fuel reduction burn across the state, which the Greens are normally critical of. Whenever there is a burn outside of the fire season they are the first to criticise us. In this case, it has been very clearly suggested that our fuel reduction burns on the west coast prevented a further spread of wild fire. When it comes to the fire season our investment is significant - $55 million. 3 20 March 2019 You ask us about a commitment in the Budget. If you look at that, it is most significant indeed. It comes in relation to other initiatives that we have undertaken, following the last bushfire event. Certainly, we will do so again following the independent review that is being undertaken in relation to this. Regarding our wilderness areas, we have a number of initiatives underway to ensure that the research that has been done by the Tasmanian Government with an additional $4 million in funding is supporting a number of the research project's recommendations. Some have been implemented and others are continuing to be progressed, due to their longer-term nature. The recommendations include: improving bushfire management planning; bushfire risk assessment and modelling; bushfire recovery; developing a model of fire cover; and undertaking planned burning in the TWWHA. The funding is also contributing to the Tasmanian Government's commitment to meet national and international responsibilities to protect the outstanding, universal value of the TWWHA. A committee meeting comprising representatives from DPIPWE, the TFS and the Department of Premier and Cabinet meets quarterly to monitor implementation of the recommendations. One of the key outputs of the work currently being conducted is a comprehensive TWWHA fire management plan that will contain: clear objectives for fire management in the TWWHA; clarity regarding circumstances in which priority will be given to protecting the outstanding, universal value of the TWWHA over built assets; clear objectives for the management burning in the TWWHA, including indigenous and burning practices; and framework for monitoring impacts of bushfires and planned burns in the TWWHA. The Parks and Wildlife Service is also reviewing its immediate, medium- and long-term fire suppression capabilities; reviewing the research program on fire on natural and cultural heritage values; enhancing its risk assessment tools, including the bushfire risk assessment model and bushfire operational hazard model; revision mapping outlying vegetation communities and other fire-sensitive vegetation communities in the TWWHA; and conducting rehabilitation trials in areas of the TWWHA that were impacted by the 2016 fire.