Major emergencies have a long tail – so support those fighting the fires in NSW

I’ve been in Sydney on several occasions over the past few weeks – every time I’ve been there, the weather has been hot.

Being from Melbourne, that’s been enjoyable, despite the challenges it poses to carry-on luggage adequately accommodating the different climates.

I’ve caught up with friends and sat in Hyde Park on balmy evenings enjoying the good food at the Night Noodle Market, and I’ve been able to finally use an outdoor pool at a hotel.

 

I was in Sydney last Thursday when the raging NSW bushfires started to take hold up in the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas.

 

Stuck inside with air-conditioning at a conference all day, I was too busy with work to even go outside and look up at the sky. Some other colleagues managed to, and what they saw was the hot talk of the table at dinner that night.

 

What I missed was an eerily and devilishly red sky above the harbour, beautiful and intriguing to some, but in reality, a direct result of something far more sinister and dangerous happening not that far away.

 

Though disappointed I missed it, even if I had seen it, it would have been purely voyeuristic, as I was jumping on a plane and leaving town to head home to safety the next morning anyway.

 

The following day’s papers, even back in Melbourne, carried front page headlines such as “Hellfire” – the red sky the previous night was nothing to admire.

 

What is to admire, however, is those thrust into the midst of working through these large-scale emergencies.

 

I have seen their work– their tireless and tough work – up close, and it is something those of us not directly affected should all appreciate, and something that those requiring their help will never forget.

 

I was a Ministerial adviser in the Victorian Brumby Government when the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires hit, killing 173 people. It was all hands on deck to get out and help communities in any way possible during the days, and all the seats at the office table were filled as support and recovery plans were built throughout the evenings.

 

I saw all of our emergency services working hard together at fire fronts, volunteers at community halls helping house those displaced from their homes by fire. I saw the Army working to help rebuild burnt out communities and I saw the nerve centres that managed resources to fight ongoing fires and fire threats.

Then in the aftermath as an adviser working specifically on emergency services and bushfire response, I saw the long tail of dealing with a Royal Commission, creating new legislation to improve fire safety, to rebuild entire communities and to help keep people safe.

 

In 2013, four years later, my involvement continues, working with the country’s largest Class Actions law firm at Maurice Blackburn, seeking compensation for those that lost and suffered because of the Kinglake and Marysville fires.

 

Today in NSW the winds are reported to be hitting extreme speeds of up to 100kph in the Blue Mountains and other parts of the state – the RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has indicated that his firefighters are battling 60 fires, 22 of which are uncontained, with three at emergency level.

 

For those dealing with a major event, such as the brave emergency services teams and the authorities that work tirelessly to put in place the support networks to deal with the fallout, there’s no quick fix and there’s no easy exit from these situations.

 

It’s tough work and it’s tiring work for all involved, but it’s some of the most important work the people involved will ever do.

 

My experience tells me that these emergencies and those involved don’t just come and go. So I take my hat off to all those working on the NSW fires emergency, because while the work required might peak during the height of the disaster, it doesn’t just jump on a plane and go away any time soon.

 

 

Frankly speaking, the Franklin deal is Buddy brilliant - for the competition

…those who claim to have the greater good of football at heart should think twice about renouncing the intrepid actions of the Sydney Swans.

The American government is currently shutting down, because the Republican-led House of Reps has refused to pass Obama’s budget, unless Obama’s Democrats negotiate to partially dismantle their flagship health care policy, Obama Care.

That led to international news bulletins running an interesting grab from the US President, who in frustration, told the world that, “You don’t get to extract a ransom, just for doing your job.”

Tell that to Buddy Franklin and his management team.

While we’re still getting accustomed to our traditionally loyal AFL turning its hand to free agency, Lance Franklin’s reported nine-year, $10million deal is an epic achievement that will change the trading landscape of the AFL forever.

Naturally, such an unexpected and major play has caused reverberations throughout the league and throughout the country, predominantly resulting in predictable emotional reactions from people that it’s somehow unfair.

While the AFL is obliged to now run an investigative eye over the deal to make sure it stacks up, there is nothing currently that indicates there is any illegitimacy within the current rules about the intriguing and breathtakingly audacious coup that has occurred.

As the AFL states, the Swans are aware of their total player payment obligations, and it would be staggering if they are proven to have breached the rules in such a prominent deal that was always going to attract extreme scrutiny – especially in light of very recent and high-profile mistakes by other clubs regarding player payments.

But despite the chorus of incredulity at the ability for such a landmark deal to have been pulled off as effectively and covertly as this, I’ll bet there’s been no wrongdoing and it’s simply a case of the Swans reinforcing their prowess as the masters of strategy, trading and list management.

And why begrudge the once destitute Harbour-side Swans from working within the rules to avoid bottoming out in order to stay at the top? After all, they haven’t bought themselves a winning culture or a team of stars, but they along with Geelong are standout examples in the league for their ability to foster and engender an enduring culture of success. This is just part of the mix.

Even Collingwood President and ardent anti-Swan Eddie McGuire conceded on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 last night that the Swans have simply made the most of a golden opportunity and shouldn’t be excoriated for making the most of what he sees as the flawed system they operate within.

And without delving into issues that could stand alone as opinion pieces, such as the true cost of living variations in different states, perhaps the Swans have sniffed the breeze and exploited their competitive advantage before the AFL removes it. Or perhaps they’ve just shot themselves in the foot and put the extra payments issue so brazenly in the spotlight that no-one can swallow it any longer, and they’ve killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

Either way it worked for the here and now, and those decrying the fact that Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin have landed in Sydney in consecutive years should consider two things:

•          1: The Swans are shedding some heavy salary cap weight with the retirement of top-line players and the mooted trade of other notable stars such as ruckman Shane Mumford, plus they get considerable concessions due to the veterans on their list such as Adam Goodes; and,
•          2: The non-binding offer that has reportedly been put to Franklin can be matched by Hawthorn, but if as expected it isn’t, the contract is a huge risk for Sydney.

That’s right, it is a huge risk for the Swans to secure Buddy.

If he plays until the end of this extensive contract, he’ll be 35-years-old with 18 seasons under his belt and he could be just shy of 400 games and number four on the all-time games played leader board behind legends Michael Tuck, Kevin Bartlett and Dustin Fletcher.

In reality, due to injury and other inevitable circumstances, the more likely chances are that he won’t get near it, and the Swans will pay a high price for shorter term success.

Longer term, the Swans are doing the competition a favour by keeping Franklin in the game for as long as possible. He’s undeniably captivating to watch, and unless he’s playing against your side, footy watchers love to see him at his best, and the longer they can do that, the better.

The Sydney Swans have cemented an out and out star of the game as a permanent fixture of AFL marketing for another decade. It’s brilliant, (for everyone except the Hawks and the GWS Giants) and those who claim to have the greater good of football at heart should think twice about renouncing the intrepid actions of the Swans.

It took courage from the two major parties involved to get it done. That courage has in turn resulted in a major coup for the Swans, for Franklin, and for the AFL.

Perhaps it’s time the all-conquering US Government sat up and paid attention to our little home-grown game of AFL to see how showing some courage in uncertain times can result in a greater good, free from the shackles of personal, political or emotional baggage.