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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-29 Daily Xml
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FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES (VOLUNTEER CHARTERS) AMENDMENT BILL

Introduction and First Reading

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (11:00): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005. Read a first time.

Second Reading

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (11:00): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

As I have said in relation to the previous bill, what a day to introduce this sort of legislation! We have nearly 15,000 volunteers and support staff out there on red alert. We have the whole state on high alert, because we have extreme fire danger in many areas, and severe in others, including in the metropolitan area for the first time in many, many years.

I declare that I am a member of the CFS and I do that very proudly. I was interested to read my own record with the CFS. In fact, I joined on 12 March 1986 and apparently I am due for my national medal. I am due for my 20 years service clasp, but I am not in there for that. I am in there for exactly the same reason as all the thousands of volunteers who are out there today looking after this state. Can I say that the member for Finniss, the member for Stuart and the member for Hammond and I, the four of us could crew a fire truck today. We are trained up—

Mr Pengilly: Oi!

Mr Pederick: The member for Finniss.

Dr McFETRIDGE: I did mention the member for Finniss.

Mr Pederick: And you have Whetstone for Chaffey.

Dr McFETRIDGE: And the member for Chaffey as well—the list goes on. Two trucks on the road—the bulk water carrier and a tanker, on the road today.

Mr Pengilly: And a lot of experts.

Dr McFETRIDGE: There's a lot of history there. The—

The SPEAKER: Member for Morphett, can I suggest perhaps you do!

Dr McFETRIDGE: However, ma'am, I will get back to the very important reason for this bill, and that is to recognise in legislation the thousands of volunteer CFS personnel out there who have been recognised in the volunteer charter which was signed by the then premier Mike Rann, the then emergency services minister, the Hon. Carmel Zollo, the current emergency services minister and then minister for volunteers, Jennifer Rankine, the then presiding officer of SAFECOM, Mr David Place, and the then chief executive officer of the CFS, Mr Euan Ferguson. The CFS charter is a very worthwhile and valuable document. I will read from the charter:

The volunteer members of the Country Fire Service are fundamental to emergency management service in South Australia...This Charter provides a framework for the commitment to protect the needs and interests of CFS Volunteers. It represents an agreement that the Government of South Australia, the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission and the CFS will commit to:

consulting with CFS Volunteers and the Country Fire Service Volunteers Association about all matters that might reasonably be expected to affect them, and

considering their views when adopting or approving new practices and policies or reviewing current practices or policies.

They are the fundamentals of the volunteer charter. The Victorians have a similar charter. The South Australian one was signed in 2008 and the Victorian one was signed off by Premier Ted Baillieu and Peter Ryan, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services in 2011.

We were ahead of them with the charter, a very important document, but the Victorians have gone further than we have and this is what we are attempting to do here in South Australia. The Victorians have actually incorporated their charter into the Country Fire Authority Act 1958 under section 6F—Recognition of Authority as a volunteer-based organisation, 6G—Recognition of the Volunteer Charter, 6H—Authority to have regard to Volunteer Charter, and 6I—Authority's responsibility to encourage, maintain and strengthen capacity of volunteers. This is what I am trying to do today with the Fire and Emergency Services (Volunteer Charters) Amendment Bill 2012. In my bill I want to insert into section 58A:

(1) The Parliament recognises that SACFS is first and foremost a volunteer-based organisation, in which volunteer officers and members are supported by employees in a fully integrated manner.

(2) The Parliament recognises that the SACFS volunteer charter—

(a) is a statement of the commitment and principles that apply to the relationship between the Government of South Australia, the Commission, SACFS and volunteer officers and members; and

(b) requires that the Government of South Australia, the Commission and SACFS recognise, value, respect and promote the contribution of volunteer officers and members to the well-being and safety of the community; and

(c) requires that the Government of South Australia, the Commission and SACFS commit to consulting with the Country Fire Service Volunteers Association on behalf of volunteer officers and members on any matter that might reasonably be expected to affect them.

Inserting the volunteer charter into legislation will overcome the recent problem we had with the establishment of the community safety directorate. We knew there was no consultation on that. We do not know where this idea came from, other than looking at the Queensland model. We know that there was a complete lack of consultation. It was back to the old 'announce and defend'.

The CFS Volunteers Association president's report 2012 was prepared by Mr Roger Flavell, who is the president of that—and congratulations to Roger. I recognise Wendy Shirley in the gallery, the former executive officer of the CFS Volunteers Association. I wish her well in her future and her wedding to Mr Phil Koperberg. I also recognise Ms Sonia St Alban, who is the new CFSVA chief executive.

I go back to the president's report of 2012 by Mr Roger Flavell, who is a hardworking president. In his report he said:

Consultation is not just about telling our people what they will do, but it is about listening to and understanding the issues…

We all know about SACAD, the South Australian Call and Dispatch, how the issues there have been out there for a long time. We know that the volunteers in the association have been very active on getting this call and dispatch system up and running, to make sure it works, because on days like today you had better know what is going on, where the troops are, how they are going to get there and how they are going to respond.

I understand Mr Flavell is in the chamber, in the top gallery up there. He is in the cheap seats up the back. He can come down. I am sure somebody will go and bring him down into the gallery. In Mr Flavell's president's report he said:

In August the Minister announced late one afternoon that the Government had decided to setup a Directorate of Community Safety. We are told by the Minister she worked very hard and we are lucky to get 'Safe Communities, Healthy Neighbourhoods'…

But what about consulting with the volunteers first? What about talking to the troops on the ground? What about finding out what is going on out there?

That is why I have moved this amendment in here. It is a valuable amendment. It is one that is needed and we do need to make sure that our volunteers are going to be valued, not just during the summer but all year round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are about 15,000 of them out there, volunteers and support staff. There are 434, I think at the last count, CFS stations out there—280,000 hours, just in incidents, never mind the training, PR, and the other administration.

I was captain of Happy Valley CFS for a short period until I saw what effect it was having on my business. The paperwork, the time that is involved, the time that volunteers put in, you cannot put value on that. The least thing we can do is recognise them, not just in the charter, but in the legislation, so that they do know we are going to look after their interests. There is no way around that.

No minister, whether the current minister or ministers of the future, can ever take them for granted. I know we do not in this place. I know the current minister does not. We on this side certainly do not. But what we do need to do is make sure that we show the volunteers they are valued. We know volunteer numbers are decreasing. We do not want to see that because of any perception that the government does not value them, that parliament does not value them. We certainly value them on this side. We hope that every member on the government side values them. I would be very surprised if that was not the case. The member for Mawson and I were at the Mawson CFS equipment display a few days ago. We saw the equipment; we saw the abilities of the troops to perform. Let us show we value them.

I look forward to the government's support of this amendment. It is straightforward, it is overdue, and I look forward to the minister coming and talking to me about any amendments if they are necessary, but I do not think there are any. I would be happy for the government to adopt this as their legislation. It is not about me: it is about the volunteers.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.

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