Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Statements on tabled papers and petitions

Country Fire Authority

Report 2022–23

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (17:19): I rise to deliver a statement on the Country Fire Authority’s 2022–23 annual report. I see that the minister is very excited about that, because this report is something worth celebrating. I am going to speak today in anticipation of the CFA’s forthcoming 2023–24 annual report. I do this because I know that the CFA’s invaluable work with our community as outlined in the 2022–23 report will only go from strength to strength in subsequent reports thanks to the consistent investments from the Allan Labor government and the Minister for Emergency Services, who I have the very distinct pleasure of working with.

I visited CFA headquarters in Burwood East just last week, and I sat down to talk with the CFA’s interim CEO Robyn Harris. Unfortunately the chief officer Jason Heffernan had been called away on an urgent engagement. I hope that all went well out there in the community and I look forward to meeting with him soon. What struck me most about my conversation with Ms Harris and her team is just how highly esteemed CFA volunteers are both within the CFA’s work culture and the broader community.

It is no wonder that since June last year the CFA has received close to 7000 new volunteer applications – congratulations to each and every one of you. They have worked incredibly hard to maintain a really dedicated pool of over 51,000 hardworking and committed volunteers. It fills me with great pride to see that even in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis Victorians are still lining up to donate their labour to their communities through the CFA, and our government is making sure that investment in CFA equipment keeps up with volunteers’ needs. This year’s budget has committed $18.6 million to deliver 15 replacement urban response pumpers to the CFA. The CFA is also rolling out 48 heavy tankers and two light tankers funded as part of our $126 million CFA capability package. The heavy tankers, let me just say, have recently been delivered to Mildura, Ballan, Creswick, Daylesford, Miners Rest, Wendouree and many other brigades across the state. Buying new trucks is not all we are doing. We are also investing $11 million to upskill CFA firefighters and deliver volunteer driver training and licensing, which includes a delivery of dedicated training trucks – how good is that! That is outlined in the annual report. I have got to say I am pretty stoked about this one.

The CFA raised $1.6 million for sick children through the Good Friday Appeal. This is a figure that fills me with pride, knowing that even when times are tough for every household in the state Victorians dig deep for their communities. The report details how CFA members assisted communities by preparing them for and keeping them safe throughout extreme climate events like bushfires and floods, which are really only made worse by the effects of climate change. I know from my time serving on the 2022 flood inquiry that CFA volunteers saved lives during that event, and this report highlights the exemplary service of volunteers during that really difficult time.

The report also highlights how the CFA is diversifying its membership through the diversity and inclusion strategy it launched in 2023. We have developed an inclusive language guide for members and also implemented a women in leadership mentoring program to create a really clear path for women to become volunteer leaders. I was particularly interested, on the diversity and inclusion theme, to see in the report a case study of the Swan Hill brigade, who have embraced the Fijian community, which has grown in Swan Hill over recent years. Six volunteers from Fiji who originally came to Swan Hill as abattoir workers now contribute to the brigade. These volunteers saw the images on the telly when the 2009 Black Saturday fires were broadcast on TVs across the Pacific. When they came to Australia they wanted to give back to the community, and those who heroically fought those fires, as CFA volunteers – how incredible is that! It is worthy of celebration. I have said a number of times here today, and it bears repeating at least once more but probably more than that: I could not be more proud of the way Victorians from all walks of life come together for their communities and to contribute to incredible organisations like the CFA. Their focus on equity and diversity is something that resonates with this side of the house.

Just last month I joined with others to really celebrate diversity in representation of our party, but do you know what? I know that the upcoming report is something that we will be looking forward to reading as I hope it outlines the work we are doing to continue to build stronger community emergency response structures.