BEULAH PARK FIRE STATION

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Emergency Services a question relating to MFS recruitment.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Early last month the minister announced that the government would provide funding for a crew to staff the new Beulah Park MFS station in the next financial year. As most members would realise, the Beulah Park station was opened two days later. The opposition understands that the current MFS recruiting process will be completed on 1 July and that the recruited cadets will not complete their training until 1 October this year. My questions to the minister are:

1. When will the 22 new crew members of the Beulah Park station be trained and operational?

2. Will the crew be drawn from the recruit course which runs from July to October; if so, what current positions will remain unfilled?

3. Will the establishment of the new crew be delayed until the next recruitment course after the July to October course?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:57): I thank the member for his important question. It again allows me the opportunity to place on record this government's commitment to our emergency services—in this case, in relation to the Metropolitan Fire Service—and also place on record that it is this government that has actually increased recruiting in the Metropolitan Fire Service, after it was gutted by the previous government.

It is correct that I was very pleased to open the new Beulah Park Fire Station and, at the same time, place on record that a station is also being built at Paradise, which means an extra—and I repeat, extra—station in the north-eastern area. We do have ongoing recruitment courses taking place in the MFS, and that is the difference between this and the previous government. In relation to the placement of crews, I leave that to the chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire Service—

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: I rise on a point of order. I cannot hear the minister because there is a certain member sitting right behind her who is constantly belly-aching.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Honourable members will come to order—and that means the Hon. Mr Stephens as well.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: I can repeat all that; would the honourable member like me to do so?

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Not all of it; just the last bit.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: In relation to the placement of crews, I certainly do not dictate (and would never dream of dictating) to the chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire Service. The allocation of crews is up to him—in consultation, I am sure, with the UFU. As I have said, this government has increased funding to the MFS—indeed, to all our emergency fire services—but, in particular, it has made an enormous commitment to the recruitment of staff to the MFS with 194 new firefighters. I think there is also another group graduating on 8 October (although I am not 100 per cent sure of that); however, they are going through the process right now. We do have recruiting going on on a continual basis; again, that is the difference between this and the previous government.