Thursday, 3 August 2023

Bushfire preparedness

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:31): (223) My question is to Jaclyn Symes, the Minister for Emergency Services. Given the government’s actions which have decimated the CFA and led to a significant decline in volunteer numbers, can the minister guarantee Victorians that the CFA has been able to undertake adequate fire training and preparation ahead of this year’s fire season?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:32): I thank Mrs Hermans for her question. There were a range of issues that you raised in there. I think I can speak for everyone in the chamber: we all support the CFA and we love our volunteers in our communities, particularly country communities. There has been a lot of support funding for CFA volunteers. You would be getting around speaking to many of them. We have an ongoing conversation with all of the volunteers about their wants and their needs. There is always much more to do everywhere, but I do enjoy handing over new trucks, updating facilities and getting around the state and talking to people in relation to that.

When it comes to fire preparedness, that is a whole-of-government approach and a whole-of-community approach. We work hand in glove with Minister Stitt’s area of responsibility in Forest Fire Management Victoria in relation to preparedness for emergencies. That work is always ongoing, and I can point you to many activities around the state.

Ann-Marie Hermans: On a point of order, President, the minister, while she has given us a lovely little bit of information about the CFA, has not actually answered the question. What we are asking here is whether she can guarantee Victorians that the CFA has been able to undertake adequate fire training and preparation.

The PRESIDENT: The minister, at the end of her answer, was actually completely relevant to that particular part of your question. Could you, Mrs Hermans, ask your supplementary.

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:33): Thank you, President, and I thank the minister as well. My supplementary question is: how many fewer operational volunteers does the CFA have available today compared to the 2019–20 bushfire season?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:34): I have got some stats here that go some way to directly answering your question in relation to the number of volunteers in comparison for the 2020–21 year and the 2021–22 year, and that was 54,186 in 2020–21, and in 2021–22, 52,805. The variation in volunteer numbers has not affected CFA’s capacity to respond to incidents or major emergencies, as pointed out by the chief officer. CFA has a significant reserve of operational volunteers and, I can inform the house, has never had to draw on its full operational numbers.

Ann-Marie Hermans: On a point of order, President, I just want to clarify: are we talking about actual CFA volunteers that fight the fires here or are we talking about volunteers in general with the stats? Operational CFA –

The PRESIDENT: It is not really a point of order, but if the minister is happy –

Jaclyn SYMES: I can break it down for you further. I value all volunteers in the CFA, whether they are operational or not, but to respond specifically to your question: operational volunteers in 2020–21 were 29,582 and in 2021–22 were 29,084.

The PRESIDENT: That was quite unique, two supplementaries. That was not a precedent, that was the minister further to Mrs Hermans’s point of order.