Tuesday, 2 May 2023

 Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (19:05): (133) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place, and the action I seek is for the minister to allocate funding to ensure the Morwell CFA remains a standalone station. Over the past four years the Morwell CFA has made known its desire to remain separate from Fire Rescue Victoria on several occasions, including in this house, and still the brigade is no closer to gaining answers from the Andrews government about its future. Volunteers are adamant they will not move to a new site on Princes Drive alongside paid FRV staff, citing very real and valid fears about whether the Morwell CFA will survive if they are forced to co-locate.

The new FRV site is not designed to cater for the presence of the growing Morwell CFA brigade. There is not enough room for volunteers to work at full capacity, and their access to the station would be limited and monitored by career staff. This is an absolute slap in the face for our hardworking volunteers and undermines the legacy they have built over more than 100 years, selflessly protecting our community. The new FRV station in Morwell is actually not practicably big enough to accommodate the CFA tanker and the CFA equipment plus over 100 years of memorabilia, including honour boards that currently hang in the McDonald Street CFA station. The Morwell CFA has voted overwhelmingly in support of a motion to remain a standalone station either at the current site on McDonald Street or at a new location. Volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes to access possible locations for a new station and are fully prepared to work with the Andrews government to secure the future of volunteer firefighting in the region.

Minister, a precedent has been set in other areas like Moe and Eltham, where CFA volunteers have separate stations to career staff. I am imploring you to put an end to the uncertainty and the lip-service with our volunteers and to discuss and commit to the allocation of funding for a standalone station for the Morwell CFA in the upcoming budget so they can continue to attract and educate new members to protect our community for the next 100 years.