WIT.005.001.2383 .,.' . Victo ThePlace. ToBe . 76 Transcript Date: Friday, 6 February, 20092009 Summary: Premier JohnJohn Brumby and Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky discussdiscuss the upcoming high temperatures and bushfire threats, a contractcontract with Alstom toto deliverdeliver 20 newnew trainstrains forfor Melbourne, andand thethe statestate ofof thethe publicpublic transport system. JOHN BRUMBY: Look, a couple of things if I can, just generally, and beforeI go back tothe detail of this announcement, butbut justjust if ifI could begin the day day really with obviously obviously a warning warning about about tomorrow. tomorrow. Obviously I've been briefed on the the latest latest weatherweather forecast forfor tomorrow, andand it'sit's just just gonna gonna be, be, probably by a long way, the worst day ever ever in in the the history of the state, state, in in terms terms of of the the temperaturestemperatures and the winds. And I know know a couple couple of weeks weeks ago ago when when we we had had that big big wind wind event, event,I heard one of the the radio radio commentators, Ithink, say the the day day was was almost almost apocalyptic -- the wind was - and and tomorrowtomorrow we'rewe're going to have have unbelievably unbelievably high temperatures and we're also also going going to have have unbelievablyunbelievably highhigh winds. winds. And we've gone gone through now a couple couple of of months months across the state where there's basically basically been been no no rain since mid-December. We'veWe've got a state state which which is just tinder-dry;tinder-dry; youyou saw last week some of the the wooden power poles just literally literally self-igniting self-igniting and and I I can't stress this enough... I I mean, mean, I know the Chief Fire Officer's been out and he said it will be as bad bad as you can get and he's not not exaggerating. exaggerating. Last night, late last last night, night, the the latest latest forecast... forecast. .. Melbourne's at 43, 44, but places places like like Bendigo Bendigo are are 44, 45, Echuca, 45, Mildura 46,46, Horsham 45.45. The The latest information isis thatthat if anything anything it might might be be hotter than that, not cooler, so it's it's just, just, you you know, know, it's just as bad a day as you can imagine. And And on on top of of that, that, the the state state is is just tinder-dry. tinder-dry. So, people people need need to exercise exercise real real common common sense sense tomorrow. If you don't need need to go go out, out, you you know, know, don't go out; out; you you know know this, this,it is a seriously seriously bad bad day. If you don't need need to travel, don't travel. Don't get on on the the roads,.roads,if you you don't don't need need to to use use the the (*) indicates phonetic phonetic spelling spelling 1 WIT.005.001.2384 . " Vido The Place ToBe transport system, don't use use it. it. If you can can stay stay at at home, stay at home. If you've got relatives who are elderly, if you've gotfriends, if you've got neighbours, as I I said last week -- every every day day last last week - through through that that heatwave, heatwave, please please check check up up on on them, you know, know, ring themthem or visit them, it'sit's going going to be be a a terrible terrible day day for for anybody anybody who is is ill,or anybody whowho is old. And they they need need support support and and they need need help. help. But we're not exaggerating when we're saying this is going going to be be a a shocking shocking day. day. It is. So, So, people people should be prepared: prepared: they shouldn'tshouldn't travel unless unless they need need to; to; they they should should obviously obviously keep keep homes homes cool as much as they can, pull the drapes, allall of those things. In terms of the the power power supply, supply, the the latest advice fromfrom NEMMCO isis thatthat we've we've got got significant reserves, reserves of... in excess excess of 1500 megawatts. But But I I repeat repeat last last week, week, we had had every day last week, wewe had more power than was required -- that wasn't wasn't thethe issue. issue. InIn the extreme extreme temperatures, wewe hadhad a couple couple of of catastrophic catastrophic events, so you you can can never never guarantee, guarantee,in these these extreme conditions,that youwon't have catastrophic events. events. So there's adequate supply, supply, there should be 1600 1600 megs more thanthan wewe need,need, that'sthat's plentyplenty -:-- becausebecause industry'sindustry's notnot working,working, soso it shouldn't be an an issue, issue, but people people should should be be prepared. prepared. There may may be be equipment that fails, fails, it may may be be a a transformertransformer thatthat literally melts, as it did last week, so so people people should should take precautions atat home.home. We We expect expect to get get the the cool change change through through tomorrowtomorrow night,night, so this this shouldn't be something that runs on into into the the night, night, but if if people people are are concerned concerned about about power, power, they they should take take precautions, precautions, if that that means means having aa torch at at home, home, well, well, have have a a torch torch at at home. home. They are unprecedented unprecedented conditions,conditions, thethe likes of which we have have never seen before, in the history of the state. state. Be Be prepared prepared and keep safe and keep keep a a check on older older Victorians, Victorians, and finally, can can I say, just to repeat repeat the the message message that Russell Russell Rees Rees and and Ewan Waller have been repeating all week on the firesituation, there'll be some some thunderstormthunderstorm activity, some some lighting lighting activity, some some shocking shocking conditions, we'vewe've alsoalso had some cases of arson, arson, as you you know, know, across. across. thethe state, and anybodyanybody whowho sees suspicious suspicious behaviour inin any way should should not not ((*)*) indicates phonetic spelling 2 WIT.005.001.2385 .... Victo ThePlace ToBe hesitate toto contact the authorities. Because it's the sort of day day when a fire fire that that gets gets away away won't won't just damage property, it may cost lives as well as Black Friday and Ash Ash WednesdayWednesday havehave done done before. before. So, you you know, know, I don't exaggerate whenwhen I say we we need to be on alert. Now in terms of this this announcement, announcement, you've you've heard heard what I saidbefore, thisis afantastic announcement forfor United Group and UGL. UGL. It's going to mean fifty extra jobsjobs.. TheThe timing timing couldn't couldn't be better, better, it it shows, shows, I think what can can be be achieved achieved when the government government and industry industry and and unions unions work to achieve achieve higher higher local local content; content; so so we've we've done that with this this contract. contract. I think that when you look through through the global global uncertainty uncertainty that that is is around around at the moment, moment, you know know the biggest biggest thing... thing ... the the biggest thing here is for people people to to have have confidence confidence that they're they're going toto keep keep theirtheir jobs. And And for for everybody who's working here, they've got confidence now going going forward. forward. The 120 120 people people who work here, here, plus the 50 extra that will come on later next next year; year; they've they've got got confidence confidence about about the the company,confidence aboutthe workflow, confidence about the employment levels. For the public public transport system, system, for our our $38 $38 billion billion ttransportransport plan,this means . moremore trains for Melbourne, and we know about about the the huge huge demand demand on the system, we're all acutely aware of that, the the unprecedented demand,demand, we'vewe've gotgot thethe first of thethe new trains that are coming coming through later later this this year, year, then they'll keep coming throughthrough eacheach month, right up until 2012, 2013. 2013. So this is an announcement which is about jobs, it is aboutlocal content, and it is a great announcement forfor Ballarat. AndAnd I might just add... get Lynne to add to that. LYNNE KOSKY: Thisis an incredibly incredibly important important announcementannouncement because it comes in conjunction with the infrastructure works works we're we're doing. doing. SoSo as the new new trains are being rolled out to the system, system, we'll we'll seesee the infrastructure infrastructure works being complete, complete, so we'll we'll have the capacity capacity to provide provide more more services services and and we'll have have the the trains trains to to provide provide more more services services as as well. (*) indicates phonetic spelling 3 WIT.005.001.2386 ...' Victo The Place ToBe And during during the peak peak period, period, these... these .. thesethese extra extra trains will will carry carry more more than than 30,000 30,000 passengerpassenger trips,trips, so it itwill provide provide aa lot of of extra extra capacity capacity in our our system, and really helps with the public public transport transport network.