Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority
Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:09): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, Stephen Leane has been given a role administering, reporting on and taking over the running of the ESTA organisation, yet he was appointed to the ESTA board for three years commencing in September 2020. My question, therefore, Minister, is: isn’t it a fact that the government has charged Mr Leane with the task in a sense of marking his own homework or correcting his own mistakes—a task I think that anyone would find difficult to undertake?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:10): Mr Davis, your questions lately are just being used to facilitate your personal views of people, and it is really poor form from someone that has been in this place for so long. Most of your questions are not even in order. They are just an opportunity for you to put something on the record that you are probably not prepared to say outside.
What I will say is that Stephen Leane as the CEO has been a fantastic asset to that organisation. He has gone in there and really gotten to the bottom of the issues, dealing with staff morale and making sure that he is giving me firsthand accounts of the issues there so that this government can support that organisation as best as possible. He has my full support. He is doing a fantastic job. He and his team and every call taker and other support worker in that organisation share that confidence.
Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:11): You say that after last night’s outing. Given Mr Leane’s membership of the board of ESTA from September 2020, what share of responsibility must he carry for the shocking performance of the board, including its failure to meet benchmarks and the consequent deaths of many vulnerable Victorians? Or is it the case that responsibility lies with the government alone that appointed him?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:11): Mr Davis, it is a joint effort in ensuring that we support ESTA to be the very best service it can be for the Victorian community. To be frank, Mr Leane did not need to accept this role. He was working part-time and was reasonably happy but saw that this was an opportunity for someone with his experience, his expertise and his understanding to provide a benefit to the Victorian community. I thank him for that, because of course he did not have to accept this job but he has. He has gone in with every intention to ensure that he does not leave until he is very confident that he has done everything he can to ensure this service is up to scratch. We also have a very talented deputy in Deb Abbott, who has come from Emergency Management Victoria, so the expertise that is in there is what is going to ensure that we can as quickly as possible respond to the impacts of the pandemic, support the amazing staff there and get this organisation back on track. (Time expired)