Not only has Labor failed to deliver on a pre-election commitment to bolster emergency preparedness in the Perth Hills, but it had been revealed in Senate Estimates that the relevant Minister was completely unaware of the promise.
Shadow Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Perin Davey, and candidate for Bullwinkel, Mia Davies, said the community has been left vulnerable in the lead up to the high-risk bushfire season.
Through questions put to the Minister for Emergency Management and officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Senator Davey revealed there was no awareness of the 2022 pledge to bolster emergency response capabilities made by Hasluck MP Tania Lawrence and then-Shadow Minister Matt Keogh.
The original announcement included $1.25 million for a new incident response and communication failover centre for the Shire of Mundaring, and $1.75 million to expand mobile coverage through new communications towers in Herne Hill, Brigadoon, and Stoneville North.[1]
“Two years later, of the three communications towers only one has been contracted and the proposed command centre remains nowhere in sight,” Senator Davey said.
“It was shocking to find that no federal minister or NEMA official seemed aware of this promise and there is clearly nothing in the pipeline to deliver on it.”
The Nationals candidate for Bullwinkel Mia Davies said the uncertainty stands in stark contrast to recent claims by Labor MP Tania Lawrence, who indicated that a Federation Funding Agreement was in place to initiate the centre’s construction.[2]
Yesterday, it was revealed in the WA Legislative Council in answer to a Question on Notice from the Hon Martin Aldridge to the Minister for Emergency Services, that no federation funding agreement for Mundaring has been executed to date.
“As Perth Hills residents face another season without essential disaster infrastructure, this broken promise by Labor is unacceptable for a region still recovering from the 2021 Wooroloo bushfire, which devastated nearly 11,000 hectares and destroyed 86 homes,” Ms Davies said.
“The local member has had over two years to deliver on her promise and has done nothing, the people of Mundaring and the Perth Hills deserve better,” Ms Davies said.
