Tuesday, 16 June 2026

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:23): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Data provided to PAEC shows that 14 CFA tankers still in service were constructed before the fall of the Soviet Union. By what date will all of those tankers be replaced?

 Vicki WARD (Eltham – Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Natural Disaster Recovery, Minister for Equality) (14:23): I thank the member for his question and for the opportunity to yet again talk about the extraordinary investment that this government has made in CFA. Not only have we got increased funding year on year since reform, as we see with the budget that we recently announced; we also see $100 million that will be invested in new appliances over the next 10 years. We know that CFA in the last 12 months have received a new appliance on average every four days.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the question was very specific, and I ask you to bring the minister back to answering it.

The SPEAKER: I cannot tell the minister how to answer a question. She was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Vicki WARD: I would have thought that the opposition would be very happy with the fact that there has been a new appliance arriving at CFA every four days on average over the last 12 months. I would have thought that they would welcome the announcement of $100 million for new appliances for CFA. I would have thought that they would have appreciated the incredible investment this government has made in CFA.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, I will be more specific and say, on the question of relevance, that the minister has not gone at all to the question of when these tankers will be replaced.

The SPEAKER: I cannot direct the minister how to answer a question. The minister is being relevant to the question that was asked. I have ruled on the point of order.

James Newbury: On a different point of order, on relevance, Speaker, I would have thought that the concept of relevance requires you to deal with the question in some way, shape or form, and the minister clearly is not doing that.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, what is your point of order?

James Newbury: Relevance.

The SPEAKER: The minister is being relevant to the question that was asked.

Vicki WARD: The question is about new appliances, and that is the information that I am giving the member, which is about the fact that we are investing with great fervour in new appliances for CFA. In fact I was out at Wendouree with the member in Ballarat on Saturday, where we took delivery of a new next-generation medium pumper that –

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is clearly debating the question and not coming near to answering it.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.

Vicki WARD: It is really clear that those opposite are not actually interested in information. They are not interested in the record funding of this government or the amount of appliances that we are actually producing for CFA and the massive pipeline of appliances that we have for CFA, the distribution of which is an operational decision of CFA as to where appliances go. But of course they are not interested in that, because there is only one thing they are interested in and that is getting into bed with One Nation.

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:27): The data also shows that nearly a quarter of CFA appliances are more than 26 years old, while government policy states that all public service vehicles should be replaced after three years or 60,000 kilometres. Why are public servants given better vehicle conditions than our firefighters?

 Vicki WARD (Eltham – Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Natural Disaster Recovery, Minister for Equality) (14:27): I would have thought that the member would understand the difference between a Subaru and a pumper tanker, but clearly the member does not. As I said in my response to the substantive question, we have $100 million in this budget invested in a pipeline for new appliances for CFA and $40 million in last year’s budget for, again, a pipeline of appliances for CFA. What that means is a new appliance every four days is being delivered for CFA, because this is a government that invests in CFA. This is a government that is united behind our emergency services, who are united in ensuring that there is –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is required to be factual.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.

Vicki WARD: This is a government that is united in its record funding for emergency services, and the one thing those opposite are united on is ripping $1.6 billion out of our emergency services.

Emma Kealy interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lowan is warned.