Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) — I am also very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the Electricity Safety Amendment (Bushfire Mitigation Civil Penalties Scheme) Bill 2017. This is a very important piece of legislation and it goes to the heart of safety for each and every Victorian.

The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires caused a level of devastation rarely seen in this state. I, like many, can remember exactly where I was on the day when I learned of the lives lost and the devastation caused. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia’s highest ever loss of life from a bushfire: 173 people died and 414 people were injured. As many as 400 individual fires were recorded on 7 February 2009. It really was the worst possible day. We know that the fires commenced from several localities, including in Melbourne, and many parts of Victoria also recorded their highest temperatures since records began in 1859.

I do recall in the lead-up to the day the then Premier, John Brumby, was quoted in the media as having said:

It’s just as bad a day as you can imagine and on top of that the state is just tinder-dry. People need to exercise real common sense tomorrow.

The then Premier went on to state that it was expected to be the worst day ever seen in the state in terms of fire conditions.

In the wake of such devastation the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission recommended the rollout of bushfire protection technologies to reduce the risk of powerline-started bushfires and to increase safety for Victorians through this process. Powerline-started fires were responsible for 159 of the 173 lives lost and contributed to the loss of 2000 homes. To lose everything on that day — all of your possessions, everything that meant so much to you — would have been incredibly devastating.

We know that Bernard Teague, AO, Ron McLeod and Susan Pascoe in the royal commission report state that:

The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission was an important part of ensuring that those lessons are clearly defined and learnt. The commission conducted an extensive investigation into the causes of, the preparation for, the response to and the impact of the fires that burned throughout Victoria in late January and February 2009. As commissioners, we concentrated on gaining an understanding of precisely what took place and how the risks of such a tragedy recurring might be reduced.

We have heard this afternoon that a number of key recommendations were made by the bushfires royal commission. It was an incredibly powerful and important piece of work that was done, and the recommendations were certainly something that was of great interest to many right across the state. The importance of taking preventative, precautionary measures to protect lives and property from the threat of bushfires cannot be underestimated. As members of Parliament and the government we need to ensure that we take all measures to reduce the risks associated with power providers because these can literally be a matter of life and death and it is vital that strong compliance measures are enforced.

I am aware that there are other speakers on this bill and other business to deal with in the house this afternoon. I want to take the opportunity, though, to thank our extremely hardworking emergency services staff and volunteers at the Country Fire Authority, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Victoria Police, the State Emergency Service and supporting agencies. I have got no doubt that these agencies will be supportive of this legislation as it enhances and protects the safety of all Victorians, in particular in our rural and regional areas — we have certainly heard from many of our rural and regional members on this bill. Just a few weeks ago these agencies worked very hard in my electorate to stop the Diggers Rest grassfire. It was through the great coordination of these agencies, through Emergency Management Victoria, that support was provided to all of those residents that were affected and essentially in the path of a fast-moving grassfire.

The Electricity Safety Amendment (Bushfire Mitigation Civil Penalties Scheme) Bill introduces a compliance regime that will ensure that electricity distribution businesses deliver these safety benefits for all Victorians. It is a bill that ensures distribution businesses can be liable for civil penalties if they fail to meet the safety standards and time lines required by the existing bushfire mitigation regulations. Certainly we have heard about the extent and level of penalties that can be imposed by government, and these are very important penalties. We know that these are very important measures.

We know that when it comes to the protection of lives and property, these are the things that this government stands for. I am certainly very proud of this legislation. We do live in a dangerous environment and we should never forget how quickly conditions can change. This is an important piece of legislation, and I commend it to the house.