Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 10 August 2010 THE SPEAKER (Mr G.A. Woodhams) took the chair at 2.00 pm, and read prayers. ARMADALE ELECTORAL DISTRICT — BY-ELECTION Statement by Speaker THE SPEAKER (Mr G.A. Woodhams): I advise members that today I received advice from His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor and Deputy of the Governor that he had received a letter from Hon Alannah MacTiernan, MLA, on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, submitting her resignation from her position as member for the electoral district of Armadale in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in the following terms — Your Excellency I tender my resignation from the Legislative Assembly as member for the seat of Armadale in accordance with section 25 of the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899. Yours sincerely Hon. Alannah MacTiernan MLA Member for Armadale 20 July 2010 I further advise that today I received advice from the Premier that on Friday, 6 August 2010, the Governor directed the Electoral Commissioner to proceed with an election in the Armadale electoral district. The writ lists the following dates for the purpose of the election—Friday, 20 August 2010, as the last day for the nomination of candidates; Saturday, 2 October 2010, as polling day; and Wednesday, 3 November 2010, as the last day for the return of the writ. COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING 2011 — PERTH Statement by Premier MR C.J. BARNETT (Cottesloe — Premier) [2.03 pm]: In November 2009 the foreign minister announced that Australia would host the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth. The week-long event will culminate in a meeting of commonwealth leaders. Traditionally, CHOGM includes a royal visit, a meeting of commonwealth foreign ministers, a commonwealth business forum, a commonwealth youth forum, a commonwealth people’s forum, and a people’s space. Each of the above is a significant undertaking in its own right. Based on previous CHOGMs, an estimated 4 000 people will attend the Perth CHOGM. Around two-thirds of participants will be international visitors, many of them visiting Perth for the first time. The delegate numbers include upwards of 1 000 local and international media. The staging of such a major global event in our city presents an exciting opportunity to showcase Perth and Western Australia to the world, as well as extending our international trade and investment links and networks. The state will support the Australian government in staging the event through the provision of key services, including some aspects of event security, health and emergency services, and traffic management. In addition, the Western Australian government will support a number of initiatives that promote the state and help the Western Australian community and businesses to participate in CHOGM activities and opportunities. The government has recently appointed Mr Richard Muirhead to the role of state director of CHOGM. Mr Muirhead, supported by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, will oversee state planning for the event. Ms M.M. Quirk: What is he being paid? The SPEAKER: Member! Mr C.J. BARNETT: I am pleased to also announce today that Mr Mark Barnaba, executive chairman of Azure Capital Limited, will lead Western Australia’s involvement in the commonwealth business forum. I am also pleased that Ms Sue Ash, the chief executive officer of Western Australian Council of Social Service, has agreed to coordinate the Western Australian non-government organisation contribution to the commonwealth people’s forum. Mr Muirhead, Mr Barnaba and Ms Ash will join a steering committee chaired by Mr Peter Conran, the Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, to provide guidance and direction on Western Australia’s involvement in CHOGM 2011. Planning is well underway, and the pace will quicken as we move towards this 5036 [ASSEMBLY - Tuesday, 10 August 2010] important international meeting of countries, cultures, businesses, youth and communities in Western Australia. Today I invite all Western Australians to work with us as we move towards welcoming people from the 54 commonwealth nations, including the Prime Ministers and Presidents of those nations. VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES ROYAL COMMISSION — FINAL REPORT — WESTERN AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE Statement by Minister for Emergency Services MR R.F. JOHNSON (Hillarys — Minister for Emergency Services) [2.06 pm]: I take this opportunity to inform all members of the house about the details of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission’s final report and what this means to Western Australia and our emergency services. The commission’s final report, which was released by the Victorian state government on Saturday, 31 July, contains 67 recommendations that centred around key areas, including the bushfire safety policy—stay or go versus “Prepare. Act. Survive”; emergency and incident management; fire ground response; electricity-caused fire; deliberately lit fires; land and fuel management; and organisational structure. Although a number of the recommendations focus on Victoria, WA’s emergency services will now assess the details to determine what, or whether, changes are required to further enhance operational effectiveness and community safety locally. Since the tragic loss of the life and property during the Victorian bushfires in February 2009, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority has been working closely with other agencies to review and assess the state’s prevention, preparedness and response capabilities. WA’s emergency services have already undertaken significant reforms and adopted national recommendations that have flowed from the commission’s interim report, which was released in August 2009. A key area is the significant changes FESA has introduced to community information and warning systems. Prior to the last bushfire season, WA agreed to adopt the new national bushfire community awareness campaign—“Prepare. Act. Survive”—which encourages homeowners to prepare their properties and leave early. As part of this campaign, FESA distributed more than 40 000 kits to people living in bushfire-prone areas. In relation to community warnings, I launched the new state alert, a purpose-built system that was developed by FESA and WA Police. Last season, the state alert was activated on nine occasions and sent out more than 20 000 messages to people in the community to keep them informed about an emergency situation. Our government fully commends and supports the decisive action that our emergency services have undertaken since the tragic Victorian bushfires to ensure that our state is well protected. As part of this reform process, our government introduced new laws prior to the previous bushfire season, which included providing FESA with the power to take control of major fires, clearly defining a single chain of command. Interestingly, this is a key recommendation in the commission’s final report. In addition, we increased the penalties for arson earlier this year. Our government is committed to protecting local communities from bushfires. Last season we listened to the warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology and FESA about a high-risk fire season and we joined forces with the federal government to boost the aerial fleet with a second type I helicopter. That decision played a key role in saving lives and property on a number of occasions, especially in Toodyay. In the recent state budget, we reported a $128 million boost to front-line emergency services over the next four years. Our government welcomes the commission’s final report and the valuable opportunity it presents for our emergency services to enhance community safety for all Western Australians. V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES — BARBAGALLO RACEWAY Statement by Minister for Sport and Recreation MR T.K. WALDRON (Wagin — Minister for Sport and Recreation) [2.09 pm]: On Saturday, 7 August, following months of complex negotiations, the Premier, the Minister for Tourism and I were pleased to announce that the Liberal–National government has committed more than $10.5 million to bring the V8 Supercars Championship Series back to Perth for the next five years. This funding announcement constitutes a $10.5 million investment in facilities upgrades at Barbagallo Raceway, as well as providing funding for V8SCA sanction fees. When V8 Supercars Australia withdrew the 2010 race round, there was no commitment to return the series to WA, and, importantly, a number of issues were identified with the existing infrastructure at Barbagallo Raceway. I know from experience how critical some of these concerns were. During the 2009 race round, I was able to see firsthand the conditions under which the teams were forced to operate in the pits, and the potential for something to go terribly wrong was a real concern for me. This government was determined to address these issues, certainly with a view to attracting the V8 supercar series back to Western Australia, but, as importantly, to ensuring that the motorsport enthusiasts across the state who utilised the track year round had access to a safe, modern and well-provisioned facility. The Department of Sport and Recreation has been working tirelessly with the Western Australian Sporting Car Club, V8 Supercars Australia and Eventscorp to achieve an outcome that will support a return of the WA round of the supercar [ASSEMBLY - Tuesday, 10 August 2010] 5037 series. This investment in our premier motorsport facility will also benefit the broader motorsport community in Western Australia that utilises the track extensively throughout the year. On top of the $5 million previously committed by this government to the first stage of the redevelopment of Barbagallo Raceway, this commitment of $10.5 million will fund a new hard stand, back-of-house services, corporate and race control facilities, medical facilities and communications infrastructure to host a V8 event. This new partnership with V8SA not only brings the event back to Perth, but also allows Eventscorp to utilise its expertise in marketing to help promote the event locally, nationally and internationally, and significantly elevate the race weekend program.