Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (09:59): There has been a lot of noise in recent weeks about funding for Victoria’s Country Fire Authority while bushfires are burning and communities are under pressure. The coalition says CFA funding has gone backwards in real terms. The government points to headline figures showing more than $361 million in grants last year and says funding fluctuates with fire risk. But enough with the semantics and the politicking. Fire-affected communities need real action. The CFA’s own annual report shows a $50 million-odd deficit. More concerningly, volunteer numbers have collapsed. Fleet replacement is falling behind. The CFA leadership acknowledges ongoing challenges in maintaining financial sustainability. Firefighters and volunteers are very clear about what this means on the ground. Tankers are old. More than 2000 CFA trucks across Victoria are over 30 years old, and the red tape is stifling. The bureaucracy is making it so much harder. It takes more than 30 hours of training to get onto a fireground – 30 hours for volunteers. We should be encouraging people to volunteer, not discouraging them with yet more red tape. We need to make it easier for our heroes to enter these dangerous, dangerous volunteer roles. A modern, reliable fleet and equipment are not luxuries; they are essential for those standing between fire and community. At the same time, primary producers face nonsensical rules that stop commonsense action and do little to help them in highly stressful situations. It is time to support the volunteers who are supporting all of us.