AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2006
ACT: Gov't and senior bureaucrats knew of looming firestorm
A member of the Emergency Services Bureau .. criticised in the coroner's findings on
the 2003 fatal bushfires in the ACT .. has attacked the report.. saying it's easy to be
blinded by the wisdom of hindsight.
Coroner MARIA DOOGAN said this morning .. the ACT cabinet and senior firefighters knew
a disaster was loomingthat two days before Canberra's western suburbs were engulfed by
the firestorm .. but did nothing to warn residents.
Mrs DOOGAN named the bureau's MIKE CASTLE .. PETER LUCAS-SMITH .. TONY GRAHAM and RICK
MCRAE .. as among those who didn't act.
But Mr CASTLE says decisions were made in good faith by very experienced personnel
.. based on was known at the time .. not on what ultimately occurred.
Mr LUCAS-SMITH has also issued a short statement .. offering his condolences to the
families of the four people who died in the firestorm.
AAP RTV pv/sb/els/rt
KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES INQUEST (CANBERRA)
2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
No comments:
Post a Comment