MEDIA RELEASE

GOVERNMENT ‘BUCK-PASSING’ ON WATER

Monday, October 1, 2007

The State Government has been accused of ‘passing the buck’ on the cost of providing water to fight fires.

Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan and The Nationals Spokesman for Police and Emergency Services Bill Sykes said new legislation to be debated in State Parliament would force landholders to use their own insurance to claim water taken for firefighting purposes.

“The Emergency Services Legislation Amendment Bill has some positive features but in terms of access to water, it actively discriminates against private landholders,” Mr Ryan said.

“The government wants to change the law so that water which is taken away for the firefighting effort, is deemed to be ‘fire damage’ within a person’s insurance policy against fire.

“That could result in increased insurance premiums for country people and amounts to the State Government passing its responsibilities to the private sector.”

Dr Sykes said he was alarmed by the proposed legislative changes.

“The State Government is responsible for seven million hectares of public land and it should be providing strategically located water supplies to help suppress bushfires when they occur,” Dr Sykes said.

“If private water supplies need to be accessed, the landholders should be compensated, particularly in circumstances where the fire is occurring on public land or has originated from public land.

“The proposal to make landholders claim their water losses on their own insurance is scandalous and another example of Melbourne Labor failing to protect the rights of country people.”

Dr Sykes said the new legislation also provided emergency services with the capacity to forcibly remove people from interfering with the firefighting effort and to enforce road bocks.

“These are common sense measures that will help to protect community safety and hopefully avoid the tragedy of private citizens proceeding past road blocks and finding themselves in serious danger,” Dr Sykes said.

Media contact: Darren Chester (03) 9651 8536 / 0418 390 229    www.peterryan.com.au