Thursday, 12 September 2024

State Emergency Service funding

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:00): (1162) My adjournment is to the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is for the minister to heed the calls from the Victorian SES to improve their funding and provide necessary resources to enable them to continue to provide effective emergency responses in critical situations.

I have had a number of SES units – Chelsea, Narre Warren and Knox – contact my office asking for support in securing sustainable funding for their volunteers, which is sadly lacking in this budget. VICSES is a volunteer-based organisation committed to providing emergency assistance to minimise the impact of emergencies, reduce trauma to those exposed to emergencies and enhance community resilience across Victoria. The 4800 volunteers statewide respond to all manner of emergencies, including floods, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides and road crashes. Like the CFA, they are sometimes the first responders to road and rail accidents involving local people they may know. Between July 2022 and June 2023 SES volunteers provided over 287,000 hours of emergency relief, which has been estimated to equate to an economic value of over $500 million. Again, though, this government is forcing an important body of dedicated volunteers to face critical funding challenges that threaten their ability to effectively deliver essential services and maintain operational readiness.

The organisation currently depends on volunteer-led fundraising to procure vital equipment, maintain facilities and replace end-of-life fleet assets, but it is simply becoming unsustainable. This government did not give the SES in Victoria any funding increase in the 2023–24 budget even though 74 per cent of the state’s SES costs are associated with disasters caused by natural hazards in this state and our roads are appalling and still require repair.

Victoria’s budget is in sharp contrast to the approach taken in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, states that maintain funding and acknowledge the enormous work done by their SES. Our SES faces the impending crisis of end-of-life fleet assets, with 51 per cent of the fleet’s vehicles set to reach the end of their life by 2028 and 88 per cent by 2036, necessitating a capital investment of over $150 million. The fleet expansion will not even cover the ever-increasing needs of the growing Victorian population in a world challenged by intense natural hazardous events. Minister, your Labor government is continually failing to provide our emergency services with necessary support and funds. Will you please help our Victorian SES and provide their services with more resources?