Emergency Services Workers

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:49): Supplementary: does the Treasurer have any concerns that the negative impact on morale in the two months it took to rule out this proposal will have ongoing effects with those volunteers and recruiting and retaining them?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:49): I am always concerned at any negative impacts, but I have to say that, in those two months, the issue was not raised with me as one of the two responsible ministers. No member of parliament raised it with me. The first indication I had that there was any concern at all, frankly, was on, I think, Friday of last week when I was contacted by the media.

The Hon. T.A. Franks: I put this to you as a question on notice on the last sitting day of last year without saying who it was.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: You asked a question, but you didn't refer to the communiqué.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The honourable member didn't refer to the communiqué. The media contacted my office sometime on Friday, saying there had been a draft communiqué, these were the particular words and they had caused some offence, and I sought a briefing immediately on that particular day.

If the process of the last two months has caused widespread concern or indeed any concern to any volunteer, yes, that's regretted, but the past is the past. I can't do anything about that now. We can always learn lessons for the future. As I said, when I signed off the letters in June and roughly July of last year to the volunteers, I didn't expect that it would take so long to come to a conclusion in relation to the processes. The advice I've had on the weekend is that we have not currently had a further claim, but that might be because the precise details have not been made available to all volunteers at this particular stage. But if there was concern for anybody, that's to be regretted.