Thursday, 2 April 2026

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:59): I rise today to pay tribute to our emergency services workers. While many of us were able to take some time over the holiday period to rest and reconnect with loved ones, that was simply not the reality for so many of our firefighters and emergency services personnel across Victoria. The fire season has been incredibly challenging. The conditions we have seen are a stark reminder of the very real impacts that climate change is having on our state, but our emergency services workers never waver. When communities are under threat, they step up. They put themselves in harm’s way to protect lives, property and wildlife. There is no doubt that their bravery and swift action saved many lives during this difficult period. The damage and loss caused by this year’s fires has been significant, and recovery work is ongoing. Communities are hurting, wildlife habitats have been destroyed and local properties have been severely impacted. Through all of it though, our firefighters and emergency services staff have demonstrated their unwavering commitment and compassion towards community. So today I want to say thank you. Thank you to every firefighter, every emergency services volunteer and every support worker who stood strong when the chips were down. And I want to say thank you again for your courage during fire conditions that we have not seen since Black Saturday. Our state is safer because of you, and we are deeply grateful for everything that you do.