State Emergency Service Indigenous Training Scheme

Hansard & Papers " Legislative Assembly " 27 November 2007 " Full Day Hansard Transcript " Item 37 of 45 "
State Emergency Service Indigenous Training Scheme
About this Item
Speakers - Torbay Mr Richard
Business - Private Members Statements, PRIV

STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE INDIGENOUS TRAINING SCHEME
Page: 4437

Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands-Speaker) [6.00 p.m.]: State Emergency Service [SES] volunteers provide an invaluable service in country regions. With their distinctive orange overalls, they are usually the first on the scene after car accidents and natural disasters, and provide the majority of general rescue efforts in rural areas. I meet them regularly, and most recently I attended a ceremony to mark the accreditation of the Deepwater State Emergency Service as an official Community First Response Unit and to help open the extensions to the unit's headquarters. But given the nature of this work and its demands on people's time, there is always a need to recruit more volunteers. In many smaller centres with declining populations this has become a challenge. Today I seek Government support for a fine initiative from the State Emergency Service northwest region, which takes in a large area along the Queensland border.

The project is the brainchild of the regional controller, Steve Martin, who realised the untapped potential of the large Aboriginal population in the area. Their involvement in the organisation has been minimal and there was a reluctance to become involved. Mr Martin, with experience as captain-coach of a rugby league team in the region, half of which was indigenous, could see no reason why that mix could not be successfully applied to the emergency organisation. He began his recruitment drive in Moree, a major town in the northwest region with a population of around 10,000, a large proportion of whom are indigenous. Moree experienced major floods in 1955 and 1976 and further high-level flooding in four of the past five years, making it vital that a strong State Emergency Service presence be maintained in the area.

In early 2005 Mr Martin talked to the local Gamilaroi elders, attended a number of committee meetings, had the State Emergency Service added to the list for the Moree Aboriginal Interagency meetings for the area and spent many hours talking to the local indigenous chaplain, Miles Berghan. Through this process he learned about the customs, the beliefs, the attitudes and the enthusiasm that could be created for worthwhile projects. He found many Aboriginal people were reluctant to enter organisations as novices in an already tight-knit unit of Caucasian members. As a result he developed a group training scheme in which all participants were at the same level throughout. He also made it an intensive training package so that the goal to achieve was immediate and did not involve attending one night a week for 12 to 18 months. That way those who completed the course could take their places in a unit on equal standing with the other unit members.

Recruiting began through a presentation to Gamilaroi people undertaking a certificate course in land management. That involved creating an emergency evacuation plan in a flood emergency. When the participants realised that so many of the areas where their people lived were at risk in such a situation they willingly agreed to undertake State Emergency Service training. The course involved two weeks of full-time training, five days per week, eight hours per day with one full day of assessment. Mr Martin told me that the camaraderie shown, not only within the group of trainees but with the trainers and the staff alike, was a pleasure to experience. There were, however, obstacles such as the lack of current drivers licences, which was overcome through car pooling, and a lack of telephones for contact, with each of the new crew then being issued with a pager. It has been amazingly effective.

The indigenous community is extremely proud of the 10 out of 14 recruits who completed the course and who are regular trainers at the unit each week. The Moree unit, including those new recruits, responded as out-of-area assistance for the major Hunter and Maitland storms and floods in June of this year, and again at Lismore for the terrible storm damage suffered last month. Also, on invitation by the director general, the Moree unit attended the State Disaster Rescue Competition held at Wollongong as observers, and they are keen now to be involved in the next one. Following this success another intensive training project has begun at Toomelah, a small town near the Queensland border with an indigenous population of 280. However, training costs run at approximately $8,000 plus time involved for staff, which equates to approximately $800 per participant. That means that this successful training course can only be rolled out within a limited budget. I urge the Government to continue to support this successful recruitment scheme across New South Wales.