Tuesday, 29 October 2024

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (19:20): (889) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is for the minister to fund the replacement of all CFA fire trucks aged over 30 years in next year’s budget. Recently I received a letter from Adrian Straw, who is the Mount Rouse group officer, and he has raised his significant concerns around the age of his fleet. Within the Mount Rouse group there are six brigades. Of those, three of the six tankers are more than 30 years of age – at Gazette, Croxton East and also at Buckley Swamp. Of course this is just a small picture of what is happening across the entirety of the state. Across Victoria there are 474 CFA trucks that are over 26 years of age. There are 230 CFA trucks that are over 31 years of age. This is a real risk because in the former days the specifications of a tanker or a fire truck were much, much different from the safety requirements that we have today. It is simply not safe to take these trucks into some fires, because the firefighters stand on the back of the trucks, so they are exposed to the heat and the flames and the smoke and also falling debris and branches which might fall on top of the truck, rather than on a modern vehicle, where those firefighters – those volunteers – travel in the cabin.

We also know that we need to put the safety of our volunteers first. Our volunteers are giving up their time and their energy not just in turning up for fires but also for all the training that is done. We know that whenever there is a show, whenever there is an event that needs some fundraising, the CFA volunteers are on the back of their trucks helping out. I particularly thank all of the CFA volunteers who help out every year to raise money for the Good Friday Appeal. I always take part in that with the CFA vols, and I am very proud to do so.

The other side of this of course is that our property owners are paying more and more as part of their fire services property levy. As I said, Adrian has written to me. He is currently paying $1105 this year towards the fire services property levy. That is an increase of almost 50 per cent – in fact 49.5 per cent. All Adrian is asking for is to make sure that that money is put towards equipment that will support CFA volunteers so that they can protect country people and country property. I support the work and commend the work of all of our CFA volunteers, and I ask the minister to back all of our volunteers in. I ask the minister to ensure that there is sufficient funding to make sure that all of our CFA trucks aged over 30 years in particular are replaced and to ensure that funding is provided in next year’s budget.