Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Adjournment

Emergency services volunteers

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (19:00): (1001) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is that the minister meet with me to clarify which emergency services volunteer organisations are included in the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. In mid December the government announced an increased levy for emergency services volunteer organisations. However, it only funds two organisations: the CFA and VICSES. Concerningly, organisations such as the coastguard, Marine Search and Rescue, St John Ambulance and Life Saving Victoria, to name a few, appear to have been excluded and are not to benefit from the ESVF. Like the CFA and VICSES, these excluded organisations are also struggling to get volunteers and replace and upgrade equipment.

The government crowed that every single dollar raised by this new fund will support our emergency and disaster recovery services. It clearly does not. In reality most of the raised revenue will fund the core government services such as Triple Zero Victoria, the State Control Centre, Forest Fire Management Victoria, Emergency Recovery Victoria as well as Fire Rescue Victoria, which do not have volunteers. Precious little will actually assist emergency services volunteer organisations. The CFA are concerned that they will not receive enough funds to replace their ageing fleet.

It is called the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, but it excludes most emergency services volunteers. The two eligible organisations covered are the CFA and VICSES, and their volunteers get an exemption on the levy on their homes while other volunteers miss out. How is this just? Doesn’t the government value the volunteer efforts of other emergency services volunteer organisations? Anger is growing among the hardworking volunteers that have been overlooked. Not only will their organisations not receive a slice of the funding, but volunteers will not receive the levy exemption on their homes. This is patently unfair. It is an insult to those volunteers who give their time to help the public.

Despite being affiliated with the CFA, the coastguard have received no word whether they are included. They fear the worst. The coastguard are often the first people at the scene of a tragic accident in our waters, as we have seen over the summer. What is going on? Will coastguard volunteers receive the exemption like their CFA volunteer colleagues? St John Ambulance volunteers do valuable work at events across Victoria, which helps our tourism sector, and are often on the scene at car accidents. They feel like they have been intentionally excluded. The Port Fairy marine rescue are partner organisations of the CFA. They are trained, they have equipment onboard to put out fires on ships and boats. It should not matter what titles are used to describe emergency volunteers. They help in critical emergencies and do it voluntarily. We should show gratitude as a community, not overlook them as the Allan Labor government has chosen to do.