MINISTER for Police, Fire and Emergency Services Jo-Ann Miller attended the Mount Isa City Council meeting to brief city councillors shortly before being interviewed by North West Star reporter Chris Burns.
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The interview was held in the presence of Mount Isa State Member Rob Katter at the Community Recovery Centre. The interview was held Wednesday, meaning some information could be outdated.
Chris Burns (North West Star journalist): Were drones scanning the crime scene?
Minister Jo-Ann Miller: These drones are new technology for the Qld police service, they have specialist officers that man it. They basically use the controls and they are very good in relation to getting that evidence that you need from a height.
You can put the drones out and they have hand controls – it’s a bit like an Xbox I suppose – so they have hand controls so they control the height, they can control where they fly, they can take still photographs, video, and those drones can also patch that information fairly fast to the commanders on the scene.
So I understand they certainly asked for that technology up here and it’s been well worthwhile.
CB: Has it been used much before?
Ms Miller: We used the drones probably about two months ago so it’s only quite new for Queensland. The police officers who are trained to use the drones have extensive training -about six months training full time - to learn to operate the drones.
For every drone in the sky you have got an operator who has to know how to actually put the drones together because they fold down, they then have to attach the cameras, they have to know how to attach that camera technology, at the same time as flying the drone.
CB: What’s the benefit to using a drone rather than walking through (the crime scene)?
Ms Miller: Because when you’re walking through you’re only looking at eye level. But when you got the drones up you can put them up very high. They can take stills photography, they can also take video, they can bring them down to whatever height they need to to assist in the investigation.
We only just launched this two months ago and you can see how beneficial it is in this investigation. And I think we have got two drones in Qld at the moment, (both in Mount Isa) now the drones cost under $20,000 each, the cost of the drone is under $20,000 but then you have got the cost of training the police officers in terms of using them, and in flying the component of it. It’s really very technical.
CB: When do you leave Mt Isa, what stage of process, how do you know it’s time to leave Mt Isa?
Ms Miller: I will be talking to the Premier about that, because when we move from the initial investigation is into recovery, we then make a decision on whether or not another minister will come in so we will be talking to the Premier later today but I’m certainly staying tonight so I will be here as long as I’m needed.
CB: You asked in the Wednesday Mount Isa City Council Meeting whether you should attend the school one of the children who died attended. How important is it to attend to the school and trying to explain to children what happened?[note: Ms Miller attended the school later Wednesday afternoon.]
Ms Miller: I wouldn’t be explaining to children what would happen, I would simply be speaking to the principal and just finding out how they are going and whether there is any other assistance that they need.
Obviously the councillors today thought that I should, that’s why I asked the question of them, because it’s the local community, and Robbie [looks to the state member], you might like to come as well [Mr Katter accepts offer].
If the councillors and mayor want me to go I’m more than happy to do so. Our little ones are very precious. They are very, very precious and we need to ensure it’s not just the adults getting the support but that our young ones are as well.
CB: Especially with previous other incidents affecting the school as well recently.
Ms Miller: Yes, and I am aware of the young teacher who passed away and they (councillors) said that again today, obviously it’s of concern. I’m more than happy to basically take the feedback from the council and Robbie to undertake whatever we need to provide and offer assistance.
Often it’s the personal touch and just saying to everyone in our community including our teachers, our teachers aides, our admin staff at the school, the cleaners that we are there for you too.
CB: It’s not clear yet from police officially that it’s gas that caused the explosion, or 100 per cent certain the people died are the people named by media. What’s your view on that?
Ms Miller: The police cannot draw conclusions at this point because they are early in this investigation. We still have victim identification police on the ground, and we are also bringing in a number of specialist officers. We really need to give them the time they need to be able to pull together all the evidence for the coroner.
There is also another issue as well and that’s in relation to the family and respect. Respect is very important in this process as well. We should always keep in mind we have a young mum who has lost her family. We need to be respectful of her needs. So the police need to do their job, we need to be respectful of herself and her family and her friends right throughout this process.
CB: Have you spoken to the mother and family, as well as those that needed to be evacuated from Deighton Street?
Ms Miller: I haven’t spoken to the mum but I have asked about her welfare from the police of course. They have said that we need to basically understand the dreadful situation she is facing.
CB: What’s Queensland's and Brisbane's view of what happened here on Tuesday? How supportive is Qld?
Ms Miller: I think that the people of Queensland are always supportive of communities at this time of need. As the police and emergency services minister, post cyclones, post floods, post bushfires, post Ravenshoe, I go into many, many communities dealing with tragedy.
It’s a time we have to be respectful, where we have to listen to each community’s needs, each family’s needs, and also be able to provide the assistance that is necessary and quickly.
The timeliness of assistance is important as well. So I think that the people of Queensland's hearts are really with the Mount Isa community and particularly with the family and friends of family impacted. I think there are a lot of mums across Queensland whose hearts go out to the mum. There is a lot of mothers out there who again would have been in the same situation Tuesday morning getting kids ready for school.
CB: You said there needs to be short term, mid term and long term recovery processes that need to be thought about. I suppose the short term is officially over?
Ms Miller: No, I think that we are in the stage now of the immediate impact, that will move into recovery, we have got the recovery underway now. We have to be cognisant of the fact there are people in the community that react straight away to these circumstances.
Others could take weeks or months to react. We just don’t know the staging of how individuals and families are coping.
So look, it could be a few weeks or a few months time but that support will be here.
It might not necessarily be here in the recovery centre, but it will be here in so much that Queensland Health will be able to provide assistance with counselling, the Salvation Army, certainly our communities department always stands ready to help people in the community with assistance.
For example, short term Tuesday night we were talking to family that had to walk out of their house with the clothes they had on. One of the most immediate responses of the communities department was to get clothing for the family. They are the actual and immediate responses. But longer term the family might have other needs, and the Department of Communities stand ready to assist that family and other families with longer term issues as well.
CB: As police minister, what is your view of community using social media to spread news or information?
Ms Miller: We are in an age where social media is part of the fabric of our society. People sometimes day and night are on Facebook. Less so on Twitter but more so on Facebook. They have got mobile phones, all these sorts of Apps, Instagram, basically it’s a way of life that I think that all government services need to be aware of.
The Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said today (Wednesday) that he hoped people would desist on using social media, particularly in relation to spreading information that might not be correct.
It’s very important we have a single point of truth in the community, that should always be the Queensland Police Service, that is, the police service that are the ones on the ground, they are the ones that have the information, so if people need to confirm any information that is on social media they should always contact the Queensland Police Service to verify.
[End of interview]