News Release
Shadow Minister for Emergency Services James Milligan is today calling for an inquiry into the Labor-Greens Government’s response to the recent storms, which left residents without power for up to six days.
The inquiry, to be conducted by the Justice and Community Safety Standing Committee, should begin immediately, with a report to be handed down before the next storm season.
The inquiry should look at how the Government has responded to the storms, both this year and in previous years, and the support they offered during and after to clean up from the storm damage, including power failures and significant storm debris and litter.
“It is unacceptable that Canberrans were left without power for up to 6 days, especially when there are families with small children involved,” Mr Milligan said.
“The Labor-Greens Government’s response to the damage left by the storm was totally inadequate. More than 16,000 homes were left in the dark during and for some time after the storm tore through Belconnen.
“We have storms in Canberra every year, with more than 26 severe storms registered by the Bureau of Meteorology over the last ten years.
“Canberrans expect the Labor-Greens Government to have a response plan.
“The SES and local community volunteers do a great job at coming together to help the community in times of need, but the local government needs to play a more significant role in that too.
“I hope that the committee will be able to identify where the issues are and make strong suggestions for how these can be improved, based on best practice in other jurisdictions,” Mr Milligan concluded.