Opposition calls on State Government to release disaster preparation report

The Opposition claims the State Government has “buried” a report on how WA must prepare for disasters, which the government says will be addressed with fact sheets soon to be released. Shadow emergency services minister Martin Aldridge said the State Government should make its confidential State Risk Report, an assessment of potential hazards WA may face, accessible to the public. “There is absolutely nothing to be gained by the government burying this report which has been undertaken at considerable financial cost to West Australian taxpayers, and includes significant contributions by stakeholders across the State,” Mr Aldridge said. The Nationals MLC said WA’s disaster response capability needed to be better understood after events such as Cyclone Seroja and the Kimberley floods. “Preparedness for natural disasters is not exclusively a government responsibility, which is why it is incumbent on the Premier to release this report to the public,” he said. The Opposition said it has referred the government’s refusal to release the report to the Information Commissioner under the Freedom of Information Act. A State Government spokesperson said State Risk Reports needed to remain confidential, but fact sheets for these risks would soon be released to the public. These fact sheets have a lengthy publishing process, the spokesperson said, which involves receiving approval from the individual Hazard Management Authorities, the State Emergency Management Committee and the Minister for Emergency Services. “The Member for the Agricultural Region has received a response and is well aware that once approved by the State Emergency Management Committee, public facing summaries of the individual State risks will be available online,” they said.