Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two weeks ago, on a catastrophic fire day, bushfires broke out in Belair National Park, 800 hectares of natural bushland, in my electorate. I would first like to congratulate the emergency service staff and volunteers for what, by all accounts, was a swift, well-coordinated and effective response to the fires, which quickly contained them. A large number of my constituents live in the Mitcham Hills and Upper Sturt, which border Belair National Park. Bushfires are a serious concern for this community, especially given that a February 2012 Natural Resources Committee report described the area as 'a disaster waiting to happen' as a result of high bushfire risk and low preparedness. I have asked the state emergency services minister for a formal briefing about the cause of these fires in specific, as well as what progress has been made in the last two years, since that report, to improve the situation.

This incident also serves as an excellent opportunity to draw attention to the Sturt Country Fire Service Group's tanker appeal. Recently, the local CFS started a community appeal in order to be able to purchase a second water tanker to supply their five brigades. Currently they have only one, which is not adequate for their needs. I encourage local residents and business to help the Sturt CFS with this critical piece of equipment. Local businesses in Belair, Blackwood, Hawthorndene and Glenalta are hosting donation boxes, and I understand that appeal letters will soon appear in local mailboxes.