Thursday, 6 February 2020

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Fire services

Mr TILLEY (Benambra) (11:01): My question is to the Premier. On 4 January in Wodonga I was a member of a CFA strike team consisting of a forward command vehicle, five tankers and 20-plus crew fighting uncontrolled fires in the Tintaldra and Walwa areas. A United Firefighters Union-aligned career firefighter called back the CFA forward command vehicle from active firefighting duties to satisfy his own vehicle preference for the following day, leaving the strike team leader without a vehicle or radio. What will the Premier do to ensure that the command of firefighting volunteers is not overruled by a career firefighter who is not actually in charge of the strike team?

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:02): I thank the member for Benambra for his question. He raises a serious issue. If I can just for one moment indicate that I think everybody has seen the way in which the member for Benambra has conducted himself not only in terms of his duties as a member of this place but also in his capacity as a CFA volunteer. I think that his outstanding performance speaks for itself, but I just wanted to get that on record.

Beyond that, I am more than happy to raise the specific issue that the member for Benambra has raised with me with the chief officer, Steve Warrington, and I will ask him to communicate directly with the member for Benambra on that issue.

I have always said that there will be learnings out of any fire event like this. Even the smallest of fire events can actually provide us with things we need to improve. In a fire event of this scale, this ferocity, so early on in the fire season, with so many hectares burnt but at the same time such—in my judgement and I think in the judgement of many—such a well integrated approach, there will be, however, things to learn and things to improve. That is why the inspector-general for emergency management will have all the powers, the resources and the time needed to conduct a proper review—and he will—and then we will be able to have a debate and a discussion, but hopefully not too much debate. Hopefully we can just get on and give effect to that culture of continuous improvement that I think sets our emergency services apart.

Mr TILLEY (Benambra) (11:03): Just covering off with my supplementary, this demand from an active unionist put the entire strike team at risk because the strike team leader had no vehicle, as I said, or means of communicating with his team. So, Premier, what will you do to ensure that CFA volunteers will not again be placed at risk by union bullying this fire season?

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:03): With the greatest of respect to the member for Benambra, I am not necessarily wanting to accept the assertion that he has put to me. I am happy to refer the matter on. It is a serious matter—

Members interjecting.

Mr ANDREWS: Well, in my experience—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Will members come to order!

Mr ANDREWS: We are not going to be lectured on who was there and who was not. I do not think that is a road you want to go down, just quietly.

Mr T Smith interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kew is warned.

Mr ANDREWS: The key point here—

A member interjected.

Mr ANDREWS: I will refer the specifics of the matter to the chief officer. Surely those opposite cannot find fault with him. He was not there either, but he will look into it and do so appropriately. I am not asked to comment on the specifics beyond that. The member for Benambra has asked me whether I will see to it that conduct does not occur across all firegrounds, so I am being very much relevant in saying to him that in my experience all of our firefighters do an outstanding job. Regardless of whether they are members of the union or not, regardless of the colour of the uniform they wear, regardless of whether they are in their home town or someone else’s community, I am proud of all of them.