TRANSCRIPT: ABC RADIO RIVERINA INTERVIEW, 2 JANUARY 2020
E&OE
Subjects: Fires in Southern New South Wales, Disaster Relief
JOURNALIST:
So I guess the first question would be, what are you hearing? What’s happening with these fires?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, I’ve spoken a number of times on a daily basis to Roger Orr who is the manager of the NSW RFS for Riverina and of course, he is very, very concerned. He is understandably concerned about the devastation of the fire, so just the fatigue that is setting in for some of the firefighters, They’ve been out there not just for days indeed in some cases weeks, fighting other people’s fires and now they have come home and are fighting their own fires. So that’s of course, quite a concern. The Riverina has of course lit up just in recent days with the fires in pine plantations in and around Tumbarumba and Tumut and that’s devastating for those areas because pine plantations of course, timber and tourism. Let’s face it, the devastating impact that it is going to have on the tourist trails particularly for such areas as the Sugar Pine Walk is going to have such an impact upon timber, on tourism and on the future for Tumut, for Tumbarumba and those areas. That beautiful Sugar Pine Walk of course, as James Hayes of Snowy Valleys Council says it’s one of the most iconic and one of the most photographed Riverina tourist scenes of all and of course, overnight it’s been badly, badly burnt and of course the pine plantations. Well they take 20 years to restock, replant, regrow. That’s going to have a huge impact on the Tumut economy which is unpinned by and of course Tumbarumba part of the Snowy Valleys Council underpinned 70% by timber. So that going to obviously have a big recovery effort if needed. There’s going to need to be a lot of assistance needed to help those people through this and of course this means jobs for the future because whilst house and properties are being burnt, sheds being burnt down. They need to be replaced of course, replacing that creates work but when you burn a huge pine plantation and you devastate an area like that you know, the jobs go and they don’t come back and that is the unfortunate thing about this is that we’ve lost up to 36,00 hectares of state forest, soft wood. These pine plantations around Green Hills are going to take a long, long time to recover.
JOURNALIST:
Yeah, on that, do we have any idea of the economic impact on those communities with the loss of those state forests?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, its tens of millions of dollars and that’s understating it. Of course for many the devastation is not quite clear because some of them, it’s not quite accessible. They haven’t really had a chance to get in and access the real damage and some of those areas, yes is inaccessible because of the fires of course they plant these and then they are left to grow and create the economic conditions down the track but of course when they’re are burnt out there is nothing there and of course that is going to have a rebound effect that is going to be so devastating for Tumut, for Tumbarumba, for Adelong and Batlow and Batlow whilst it dodged a bullet just the other day. Saturday is going to be very, very warm, temperatures of around the mid 40’s, winds, today they are only expected to not go above 15km/h but on Saturday they are expected to be quite blustery, quite windy and of course you combine that with you know, big fuel loads. You combine that with you know, a firefighting force that’s getting very weary. It does spell trouble and I have to say our firefighters have been absolutely fantastic. They have been out on their feet, they are doing everything that they can and they’ll keep going because they’re wonderful Australians. We owe a huge debt of gratitude. They have saved lives, they have saved properties. People will probably never know just how great of a job they’ve done but you know, they are tired for many of them they have been fighting fires up the North Coast, some of them in Queensland and elsewhere. They come home and this fire front through the East of the Riverina and through the Snowy Mountains has really taken hold.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think with firefighter fatigue that is really nothing we can do about that and it’s just because the fire season has dragged on but are you hearing that the RFS do have enough resources to fight the fires here in the Riverina because obviously what’s happening down on the far south coast and what is happening down in Victoria. I imagine is sucking up a lot of resources so are there and concerns about that over here?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well they are doing everything they can and they have got the resources that they need it’s just that to watch and act and wait and see exactly just how the fire might take hold. I mean, we’ve been very lucky here in the Riverina as far as yes, pine plantations have been burnt out, yes unfortunately the Sugar Pine Walk is badly burnt but you know Laurel Hill around that area you know, it is bad but they have got the right number of people at the moment it’s just that the energy levels are a bit sapped but they’ll – hopefully they’ll get a better day today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be – let’s hope and pray that its – okay too. Let’s just get everything ready for Saturday when the conditions are expected to worsen.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any idea yet on what the number of homes and/or properties that have been lost…
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
No I don’t, unfortunately. I know across the state we have lost hundreds but I don’t know exactly in the Riverina and that’s what I say, in some of these areas they haven’t been able to fully assess the damage. Fighting on quite a few fronts overnight but some of them are contained, some of them trying to very, very desperately get them under control. I’ve spoken to James Hayes, I’m going up there tomorrow to see for myself how bad it is. I’ve spoken to Mike Kelly a number of times, it is in his electorate but Mike is unwell at the moment so we’ve been talking on a daily basis about what needs to be done, about providing the proper resources to ensure for him and his people and to know that he cares and he does and he’s a good man and we are doing everything we can to ensure that we’ve got the proper resourcing and that we’ve got the proper number of people on the ground.
JOURNALIST:
Can people who’ve been affected by these fires on the far south coast and the Riverina expect any sort of assistance coming from your government over the next couple days?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, anybody who has been particularly effected obviously can ring, in NSW, 180-22-66 so the jointly funded Commonwealth – State disaster relief refunding arrangements are being put in place and the state makes the call on which local government areas but obviously with areas affected and with people with properties lost and lost stock etc they can access those assistance measures 180-22-66 the Department of Human Services at a Commonwealth level makes those payments available and available immediately and of course there is assistance too for land holders and for farmers and those sorts of people. I can’t stress enough, ring that number 180-22-66. Don’t self-assess. Make sure you get the assistance you need when you need it. If you need it now, ring that number.
JOURNALIST:
Yeah, of course and I guess finally, is there anything you want to say to those people out there facing these fires over the coming days?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well, the government at all levels have you back, I know James Hayes the Snowy Valleys Council Mayor certainly is making sure that government is there to help them. Know that state and federal governments are there to help them. I appreciate that up at Tumbarumba that they’re very upset at the fact they have lost a lot of their communications, their mobile towers and their power has been down. I am told that is going to be remedied today. I am told that people in authority are moving heaven and earth to make sure they get they’re communications and power back but if people are asked to leave their homes please do so. We can always replace properties, we’ve got the assistance available at a Commonwealth, State and Local level. The RFS are doing a magnificent job those volunteer fire fighters and the full time fires, they are doing an amazing job. If people are asked to leave home then please do so. Have a fire plan and follow it through we don’t need any more lives lost, we’ve lost 18, that’s 18 too many already this summer, we want to make sure that everybody stays safe.