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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-25 Daily Xml
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South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission, $700,000

South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service, $3,538,000

South Australian State Emergency Service, $100,000

Administered Items for the Department of Treasury and Finance, $4,403,410,000


Membership:

Hon. J.A.W. Gardner substituted for Mr Cowdrey.


Minister:

Hon. E.S. Bourke, Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing.


Departmental Advisers:

Mr C. Beattie, Chief Officer, State Emergency Service.

Mr B. Loughlin, Chief Officer, South Australian Country Fire Service.

Mr J. Swann, Chief Officer, South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.

Mr M. Stratton, Acting Chief Executive, South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission.

Ms J. Best, Chief Financial Officer, South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission.

Mr P. Seager, Deputy Chief Officer, South Australian Country Fire Service.

Ms A. Tajnikar, Finance Manager, South Australian Country Fire Service.

Mr J. Cibich, Finance Manager, South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.

Mr G. Tundini, Business Manager, State Emergency Service.

Mr P. Sinclair, Public Safety Solutions, Attorney-General's Department.


The CHAIR: Welcome, everybody. The portfolios are SAFECOM, Country Fire Service, SA Metropolitan Fire Service, State Emergency Service. The minister appearing is the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services. I declare the proposed payments open for examination and call on the minister to make a statement, if she so wishes, and to introduce her advisers.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Thank you, Chair. I would first like to introduce the advisers who are with me today: Chief Officer of the Country Fire Service, Mr Brett Loughlin; Chief Officer of the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service, Mr Jeff Swann; and Chief Officer of the South Australian State Emergency Service, Mr Chris Beattie. I also have with me today Mr Mark Stratton, the Acting Chief Executive of SAFECOM; and Julie Best, Chief Financial Officer, SAFECOM.

Also with me is Paul Seager, Deputy Chief Officer of the Country Fire Service; Peter Sinclair, Public Safety Solutions, Attorney-General's Department; Avril Tajnikar, Finance Manager, South Australian Country Fire Service; Gabriel Tundini, Finance Manager, South Australian State Emergency Service; and Jarrad Cibich, Finance Manager, South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.

I would also like to thank all executives present for their hard work in assisting with preparation for this examination today, and volunteers across the emergency service sector. I thank each and every one of them for their ongoing service to the community. It is our emergency services that play a vital role in helping South Australians when we are in need.

From the Hills to the sea, from metro areas to regions, emergency services everywhere help keep our community safe, connected and protected. Just last night and over the last 24 hours or more, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who have given their time and personnel across our emergency service sector to support our community with the severe weather that we have been experiencing.

I believe over 140 incidents have been responded to by the SES. The CFS has been called out 75 times, and the MFS has responded to 170 calls in just the last few hours across our state. Our government, too, recognises this service. That is why we are increasing the total emergency service budget in 2025-26 by $21 million, delivering additional investments to support frontline responders who step up when it matters most. We cannot control when emergencies strike, unfortunately, or how many we will face, but we can control how well we are prepared, and that is what this funding is all about.

This year, the fire season was longer and harsher than expected, extended by a long, dry summer that hit areas already suffering through drought. That is why we have allocated an additional $11.1 million to extend the aerial support where it is needed most. We do not have a crystal ball, unfortunately, but we are investing in smarter tools to stay ahead of the risk.

We are investing $2.8 million over four years to improve bushfire risk mapping, which will give our services better insight, coordination and strategy, helping us tailor responses to the unique conditions of diverse communities and landscapes. We are also supporting the development of the Bushfire Hazards Overlay Code Amendment, which means better guidance in land planning, design and emergency preparedness, giving our communities the tools to build and rebuild with resilience in mind.

Importantly, we are investing $5.9 million over four years to act on longstanding calls for more support in structural firefighter training for our CFS volunteers. We know that training saves lives. I would like to thank the CFS Volunteers Association, Sonia St Alban and Jeff Clark for their fierce advocacy in this space. When I first started in this role, they welcomed me with honest, insightful feedback, which was invaluable. We listened and now we are delivering.

As we have heard, heading into winter we had over 11 heater-related fires in just May this year, more than two a week. It is clear that this investment in structural firefighter training is a key part of prevention. This was showcased at a recent exercise at the Angle Park Training Centre, where we saw firsthand the MFS firefighters extinguish a heater fire within minutes.

What one of our agencies receives in budget measures will benefit all. For example, through the budget, the government has invested over $2 million over the next four years to ensure the SES drone program can meet rising demands across searches, rescues and other emergencies. In this budget, our government is also investing $687,000 over three years to continue supporting volunteer marine rescue associated in providing their rescue capabilities.

We have also answered the calls for Surf Life Saving South Australia to invest $250,000 in 2025-26 toward the replacement of the Surf Life Saving Lifesaver 3 Jet Rescue Boat, which I believe has been very much long called for. This funding means stronger defence, smarter planning and safer communities. It is an investment in the people who show up when we need it most, and the communities that they protect.

We have seen that our agencies work incredibly well together, something that I think should be celebrated and we should be very proud of in South Australia. When an emergency happens, agencies stand side by side and work together to provide help where it is needed most. I want to say thank you to each and every one of them. Whether you are wearing yellow, navy or orange uniforms, we appreciate your service and congratulate each and every one of you. Thank you.

The CHAIR: Thank you, minister. Member for Chaffey.

Mr WHETSTONE: I, too, want to thank all of our emergency service personnel in uniform or volunteers for putting their life in harm's way to keep us safe, and also to the public sector that have put their life on hold to furnish the minister's folders with copious notes to try to help make her look the best she can be. Budget Paper 3, page 23, operating expenses 2024-25: CFS and SAFECOM overspent their budgets by $12 million. Can you just furnish us with an explanation?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I indicated in my opening remarks, we do not have a crystal ball, and we do not often know what emergencies will happen throughout a year. Aviation support is one of those such items where we do not know what supports will be needed and where they will be needed. That is why you will see that in this budget—because we do not exactly know what will be happening in the year ahead—we have allocated in this budget line $11.1 million to support the extension of the aerial support that was required.

There were incidents such as the Wilmington fire, which ended up being quite a large fire in South Australia and which required a lot of support, not just from the CFS but across agencies. I guess that is where those numbers come in to be different. That is also why we continue to invest in our CFS. Quite a substantial amount of money has been put in through this budget cycle, and I think that structural firefighting training is one of those key elements that has been called for for some time. Also, there are mapping tools so that we can have a better understanding about where we need those supports. It does come down to a bit more of a guided response in the future about what supports and where supports might be required.

Mr WHETSTONE: Thank you. Does that explain why in last year's budget, SAFECOM's estimated operating expenses for 2025-26 were $32 million and that has now been increased to $42 million in the budget? Is this a contingency, should there be extra call on our emergency services, natural disasters or keeping communities safe? Maybe you can just outline what that $10 million increase in the budget will particularly be spent on.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As we discussed, I guess also in our previous estimates briefings regarding grants and opportunities of when funding is made available, we know that with the funding there has been a carryover from the DRF funding grant that has come from the commonwealth, which is why you will see that there is a significant difference between the two where it has been carried over.

Mr WHETSTONE: Is the extra $10 million into the budget state funding or is that a component of commonwealth money?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Commonwealth.

Mr WHETSTONE: The same goes for CFS and MFS, which both have increases of $3 million and $2 million respectively. Can you give me an understanding there?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: That would be the additional budget for aerial support. As I said, new funding has been made available of $11.1 million to support that aerial support, which is something quite unique in South Australia. I could get Chief Officer Brett Loughlin to expand on that. I do not think other states quite do aerial support like we do in South Australia, where we do provide it earlier and we do make sure that we invest in that, because we know that, if we get there first with our aerial support, we do provide that support to the people on the ground to then get that fire under control. It is unique to South Australia, but I will ask if Brett would like to expand on that.

Mr WHETSTONE: Minister, are you able to give me a breakdown of what component is state funding and what is commonwealth funding with the budget lines for CFS, SAFECOM, MFS and SES?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: If I understand this correctly, the commonwealth funding we receive is primarily for the DRF funding, which is a grant that comes through federal government, which is then administered through SAFECOM and provided to organisations in South Australia, is my understanding. There is a small number of commitments that come from federal government that help government bodies, mainly the buildings that they are in, but the majority of it comes from state government in regard to the support that is given to our emergency services sector.

Mr WHETSTONE: Are you able to give me a breakdown of the components, what is federal money and what is state money?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I have highlighted, the majority of the commonwealth funding is that DRF funding, and that is about the $10 million figure that I have just suggested.

Mr WHETSTONE: What is the majority? Is there a number? Can you put a number to the majority?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: The DRF funding that I have just mentioned of $10 million is from the commonwealth.

Mr WHETSTONE: Over the page, in Budget Paper 3, page 24, regarding the $26.8 million decrease in SAFECOM's operating expenses, which disaster resilience grants are coming to an end?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: The fund that I have been referring to, that I think is the one that has got your interest here, is the Disaster Ready Fund. This is the third round that has been made available through the Australian government's Emergency Response Fund, and it is a fund that has ongoing investment in our programs in South Australia, where organisations can receive funding through that grant program. I understand that there will be another round of the DRF, with round 3 applications, that will be known in late September or early October of 2025.

Mr WHETSTONE: How much of that $26.8 million relates to other components outside of disaster grants?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As we have come back to, the funding that is available there is providing support to the DRF, and that is through the commonwealth, and then the remaining is provided through state-based incomes like the ESL to provide support to SAFECOM.

Mr WHETSTONE: Thank you. Moving on to Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 32, workforce summary, the 2024-25 budget for CFS was 187.4 FTEs; the 2024-25 estimated result was 191. Can you give me an understanding of what roles those additional FTEs will play?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: My understanding is we have seen an increase in FTEs as a result of this budget because of the Statewide Bushfire Hazards Overlay Code Amendment that has been implemented. We anticipate three FTEs come about because of that investment through this budget measure and also one FTE related to the 2023-24 budget measures that were being expired for an IT program. That is where we see those differences, but I do not know whether, Brett, you want to expand on anything in that space.

Mr LOUGHLIN: Thank you for the question. The additional staff for the bushfire hazard code overlay do important work. When people do developments in bushfire-prone land, it is CFS staff who go out and undertake those assessments and make sure that that development is occurring in line with Australian standard 3959, which relates to building in bushfire-prone lands. They also work with local government, developers and property owners to make sure that those properties are done. Through the major planning reform process that has been ongoing, I believe, for a number of years now, we are seeing a wider application of the areas that are declared bushfire-prone for the purpose of development, so that increase will enable us to deal with the increased workflow there.

It is really important work. I have just been over in California with a Department of Foreign Affairs trip and having a look at the Los Angeles fires that occurred, and the building codes that we have in Australia and the Australian standard that I referenced are actually a really good thing for our nation and hold us in good stead. Our properties tend to be that bit more resilient against things like wildfire, and that is a good thing, so we are quite excited to have that enhanced capability.

Mr WHETSTONE: That was for the 2024-25 increase in FTEs. While I have you on a roll, there is an additional 4.6 FTEs for 2025-26. Can I have an understanding of what role those will play?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: That comes back to new budget measures for the structural firefighting. As we said earlier, this is an investment that has been really well fought for by the Country Fire Service Volunteers Association. We have enabled $5.9 million over four years to improve how we respond to structure fires in South Australia through the CFS. It is an investment, as I mentioned earlier, when we see the heater fires that already occurred in May. More than two fires a week were happening because of heaters and people trying to keep warm and getting their heaters out for the first time and maybe not having them checked properly.

If we are seeing those fires happening not only in metropolitan areas but in regional South Australia as well, giving those new skills to our volunteers so that they can support their community with confidence and also so that they are kept safe as well is our priority, because we do not want people going into an area without the training that is required.

Mr WHETSTONE: In your backyard, minister: the completion of the Maitland CFS/SES facility that was originally scheduled to be in February 2026 has now been delayed until the end of the year, to December 2026. Can I have an understanding of why the delay occurred?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Can you give me a budget line?

Mr WHETSTONE: Yes, sure: Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 34.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As you have highlighted, this is a project that is listed in the budget paper as being one where we are looking forward to seeing some action happening. It is works that are being carried over. It is a joint site between the CFS and the SES, one that we look forward to being a purpose-built co-located facility that will enable us to have a service that is co-located. I know they are very close together at the moment, but this will enable us to have a much more coordinated collaboration between the two services.

Mr WHETSTONE: I do like to see you putting more money into regional centres. Minister, can you also give me an understanding of why the project cost has blown out by almost $1 million?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I will hand over to someone else in a second to run through that in a bit more detail. In regard to that, we want to make sure that we can get this right. We see blowouts in projects where costs can go up or down, but we want to make sure that we do get this right. Having that opportunity to work through what that project could look like and to be able to carry that funding over, as we have done, to work through whether having both services on the one site can work is important. I will get Brett Loughlin to run through those details.

Mr LOUGHLIN: Thank you, minister, and I thank the member. It is an exciting development. It is something we are keen to see to see delivered. We continually work through DIT and the Ventia process to ensure that the costings are updated by the cost assessors so that we can continue to ensure that we have the budget to deliver the project.

Mr WHETSTONE: Thank you. On the same reference point: the replacement cost of telecommunications equipment was over budgeted in 2024-25 at $2.1 million, versus the $719,000 spent. Why is there an overestimation, and where will those remaining funds be reallocated?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: My understanding is that this is an accounting treatment. It will be reallocated and still made available for the operations of telecommunications in South Australia.

Ms HUTCHESSON: Will the minister inform the committee about the recent interstate deployments of emergency service volunteers?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I want to thank the member for her question, and also for her service as a volunteer in our community. We really are proud of the efforts she makes not only in juggling her work but also with the volunteer service she provides, like many others do in our state.

It is one thing when volunteers give up their time to serve and protect their local community, but it is another for volunteers to give up their time, take leave from work, say goodbye to their loved ones, and jump on a plane to sometimes go to another state they have never been to before. That is what nearly 290 volunteers and staff from the SES, CFS and MFS have done in recent months providing crisis support to communities right across the country.

Extreme weather events interstate, including devastating flash flooding in North Queensland, cyclones in Western Australia, and bushfires in Victoria and Tasmania have prompted South Australian personnel to answer the call for help. Three deployments were sent to flood areas in Queensland, assisting with emergency response and recovery efforts in Townsville, Ingham and other parts of the state.

The five-day rotation comprised about 70 frontline personnel from the SES, CFS and MFS, reinforcing South Australia's commitment to collaborate across our emergency services to support interstate agencies. The SES crew also helped with the Victorian staging areas for significant fires in and around Horsham and Halls Gap, supported by the CFS brigades in the state's South-East and the Department for Environment and Water, with their specialised firefighters.

This help does not just stop at our Australian borders, and I would also like to acknowledge the eight South Australians—six from the Department for Environment and Water and two from the CFS—who are deploying to Canada later this week. Our commonwealth friends are again experiencing major fires across their vast and beautiful landscapes, and South Australia is answering the call, for the second year in a row, to provide much needed support.

Our emergency services are highly regarded both nationally and internationally, and this is reflected in the request for support from our interstate and overseas friends. Our firefighters deploying to Canada will be working in remote and difficult conditions where fires are not the only the risk; something we would not be used to here are bears, which present a real danger. Their courage and the support of their families is incredible, and we are so grateful for them for stepping forward to take on the call to support Canada.

These deployments highlight not only the dedication of volunteers but also our state's ability to quickly respond to requests and work with other agencies, coordinating with the National Resource Sharing Centre while also ensuring local resources can respond to local needs.

Many of our volunteers quietly go above and beyond, showing up time and time again whenever help is needed, like Mick Grant from the Keith SES unit. In just the first half of this year Mick has answered the call six times, being deployed to the Horsham Base camp in Victoria, the flood-affected communities in Far North Queensland, in the response to Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the Lower South-East fires, and in support of the CFS. Whether severe weather in NSW or most recently the inland river flooding near Innamincka, his dedication and the dedication of so many across our services, including the SES, is both humbling and deeply appreciated.

As minister, it is a privilege to serve a portfolio supported by volunteers who continue to give so much of their time to protect others in the community. It was also a privilege to be able to meet a number of them and of deployed volunteers as we have been going through to the airport.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Adelaide Airport, Qantas and Virgin, who have given not only their services and space to acknowledge our volunteers in the lounge before deployment but also to the captains who have taken the time to give a shout-out to our volunteers and personnel who have been on those planes. It is a really good reminder to others who are in the airport at the time or on the plane with them, that we do have incredible people who give their time and, hopefully, they might also think about volunteering their time to join this incredible force that protects our community. I would like to thank each and every one of these people who have been deployed to support other communities and who continue to support our community as well.

Mr WHETSTONE: Supplementary question on that: what criteria or training capabilities do volunteers have in order to be deployed or exported to particular disaster areas or disaster sites? Is there a skill set that a volunteer is specifically trained to, or is it just a level of experience?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I will hand over to a couple of people who I know will be quite interested to talk about the service of their volunteers. As a reflection, I think it was in my first week of being the minister that I went to the airport and saw how many volunteers were giving their time. There were quite a number of rotations that were deployed, and it was remarkable to see how many times the same volunteers and personnel came back to give their time to go interstate and support others.

What I think is missed by a lot of people is that most of them are volunteers. Most of them are also self-employed and they have no income whilst they are away. It does not seem to even be a factor, it is in their DNA that they just want to help people, and it is a remarkable asset that we have as a state in that no matter where people are coming from, whether it is Mount Gambier or metropolitan areas, they are putting up their hand to go and help other states. I will pass firstly to Chris Beattie and then to Brett to expand on the training that goes into this.

Mr BEATTIE: It is an important question. Australia is a federation of independent states and has a very long and proud history of the states and territories supporting each other during times of crisis. Nationally, we coordinate through the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council and through entities such as the Commissioners and Chief Officers Strategic Committee. Through those forums we establish benchmarks around capability and capability requirements for our personnel.

Across our sector, all three agencies are registered training organisations, and the qualifications and skills that our members are provided are benchmarked nationally in terms of the public safety training package and the standards to which they are trained. When a jurisdiction requests resources from another state there is a very explicit requirement around what the skill set and role requirements will be. We have well practised arrangements for states and territories to offer up suitably trained and experienced personnel for those particular roles.

Mr LOUGHLIN: If I can add to that, I am currently privileged, in another role, to chair that CCOSC committee that was referred to. A state or territory can make a request of the rest of the agencies in Australia for support and assistance for major flooding, storm events, fire events, etc. We can have people departing airports within 24 hours thanks to their robust nature.

We have good frameworks for who is covering our people, how they are deployed and the commanding control arrangements, and they are well understood. We coordinate this, the physical logistics of it, through what is called the National Resource Sharing Centre located in Melbourne.

That same efficacy and expertise that we do interstate extends to international. With the recent request for assistance to Canada, within the request being made we had an Australian liaison officer on the way to the relevant state headquarters in Alberta in less than 12 hours. That is a six-week deployment, so that is a pretty awkward conversation when you get home to say, 'By the way, I have to pack now and I am disappearing for the next six weeks.'

But we have these wonderful pre-planned MOUs and arrangements that translate those standards, and those RTO standards that Chief Officer Beattie referenced, into our Canadian and United States counterparts' terminology so that we can seamlessly deploy.

Mr WHETSTONE: Thank you. I wanted to get that on the record because I think it is important that we have volunteers who are aspirational and would ask those questions. I must put my hand up to say that I was a poor example of a volunteer to CFS because I was never at home when the pager went off, but it is what it is.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: It is never too late.

Mr LOUGHLIN: Any day of service we are grateful for.

Mr WHETSTONE: I offered, but as a regional MP I spend very little time at home. Moving on, we will come back to highlights, Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 36. Which CFS units received Distress Signal Unit upgrades?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Thank you for your question. I understand that a number of these appliances came to the end of their service, so we have had to then find opportunities to roll them out and where best to. I believe that 199 brigades have had the opportunity to have access to them, but I will get Chief Officer Brett Loughlin to expand on them.

Mr LOUGHLIN: A Distress Signal Unit you wear on the shoulder of your breathing apparatus unit, as the member for Waite knows. They activate after several seconds of someone not moving. They are worn on breathing apparatus by CFS and MFS firefighters and are designed that, if you are inside a burning building and you have become incapacitated and have stopped moving, it sounds a very pleasant tone to alert everyone around you that you are potentially incapacitated to help them find you.

DSUs are present on every single set of breathing apparatus that we have across our 199 brigades that are equipped with that capability. The system we were using did reach its end-of-service life, so we had to do an upgrade of that. We used the collaborative procurement framework that we can get through AFAC to purchase a Distress Signal Unit that is already in use by a number of other fire services in the commonwealth and that was a pretty good project. It is why, when you see a group of firefighters at a structure fire, you see everybody constantly shuffling and doing the firefighter shake. It is to try to stop your DSU from going off because, once it goes into alarm, you have to go get a key to manually deactivate it. That was probably more than you wanted to know.

Mr WHETSTONE: No, I am happy with that, thank you. On the same reference point, under targets, when will the CFS cadet review be finalised?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: It is my understanding that this project has concluded and they are going through the process of working through presenting those details, and it is our aim that that will hopefully be happening some time this year. Just to highlight the importance of our cadet programs, as I am sure you are very much aware, when we see that we have young ones putting up their hand to be involved in not only the CFS but other organisations, it is an incredible asset to have because we know that we want new people coming into our service. We want them to learn early and fall in love with the CFS family.

We do see this time and time again. I have seen it at Naracoorte where I was challenged by the cadets there to put on a jacket as quickly as possible, which I failed miserably at, and it was highlighted how the chief officer, Brett Loughlin, was much faster than me at that particular challenge. But the outcomes of this project are something that we are looking forward to seeing and something that I think will be beneficial to many.

Mr WHETSTONE: Minister, have you seen the draft of the review, the findings of the review?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said, it is in the process, so we are working through this and it is something we look forward to looking into.

Mr WHETSTONE: I am hoping that the government will implement all of the recommendations in the review to help our cadets.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said, we are working through the review process at the moment and the whole purpose of a review is to see what comes of it and to work through it.

Mr WHETSTONE: I refer you to the same reference point under activity indicators. CFS volunteer numbers fell short of their projection by 500 in 2024-25. Can you give me an understanding of why that fell so far short of the target?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: This has been an interesting one, which, again, comes back to something I mentioned earlier. It has been a really interesting combination of having sport, rec and racing and emergency services as an overlay in portfolios, two areas that are very volunteer focused, in relation to what works and what does not work. I think consistent across two of those portfolios is that volunteer numbers do come and go. They sometimes rise and sometimes drop a little bit, but, as they have with the CFS, have stayed relatively stable.

I think full credit to the CFS family for what they are able to achieve by working to not only support each other but also, as the government has been able to do, invest in their training so that they can be retained and get not just the ability to be with other like-minded people but also get a skill set that they may not have had before and be able to use those skills not only to protect our community but to use them in employment opportunities as well.

We know that being a part of the CFS is an incredible thing to do, as it is with all of our emergency service sector, because it goes far beyond just keeping each other safe; it is also about learning new skills and upskilling. But as you could appreciate, this is an area that is of interest to me because if we can be looking at our volunteers and how we can better support them, I think there is a lot to learn from across those two portfolio areas about what is working in one area and how we can maybe use those learnings in another.

Mr WHETSTONE: Minister, I understand that the CFS are doing all they can to attract volunteers, but what is the government doing? There is a trend. I note that the number of CFS volunteers fell by 326 in 2022-23, in 2023-24 the shortfall was up to 500, and now there is another estimated 121 this year. So why has that number of volunteers declined so rapidly, and what is the government doing to help our emergency services attract more volunteers?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I mentioned earlier, there are opportunities for the government to provide support. As much as we recognise the incredible role that they play, we also know that there are multiple agencies that we are talking about and that is where SAFECOM can start providing some extra supports and deliver outcomes that can help support our volunteers as well. SAFECOM, I know, have been coordinating a review into this space, a strategy, and that will enable us to find out what we can be doing. That has been supported by the government.

I will just confirm a list—it is just not popping out at me. I am trying to find the list of the training that is available, of the initiatives. There is a number of reasons for those up and down numbers. It could be retirement as well, as another factor to be considering, but as I was suggesting through SAFECOM, I know that the CFS and the SES use a range of tools to assist in increasing volunteer retention rates. These include:

a survey of existing members to provide them with the opportunity to raise any issues and identifying the reason for ending their voluntary capacity. As I said before, that could be for retirement, it could be for work reasons;

the delivery of soft skill training sessions to the CFS and the SES volunteers, which aid in promoting effective and harmonised brigades and units;

award systems to recognise the commitment and dedication of emergency service volunteers. There are a number of different types of awards, including service medals and ministerial awards as well; and

recognising supportive employers and businesses for emergency service volunteers.

I think the last point is a really important part of this process. As I said before, they are volunteers, and a lot of them are having to leave their workplace to be able to provide support. Being able to recognise those employers is an important part of the volunteer process as well.

Mr BEATTIE: Further to the minister's comments where she highlighted a range of tools and interventions the two key volunteer agencies implement to support and foster a strong volunteer workforce, it is true that at a national level there is a long-run trend in declining volunteerism, and that hits hard for the fire and emergency services sector that relies on the best part of 270,000 volunteer firefighters and first responders across the nation. I think in South Australia, notwithstanding those ups and downs, we have been blessed to see a very strong commitment from our communities in terms of sustaining the brigades and the SES stations across the state.

I would say, further to the minister's points, that the government has also invested in new volunteering facilities for the Northern Adelaide Plains community with the new Gawler SES unit and, to that end, we have recently recruited over 35 new members to the SES from that community who have been in training for the last six months and are looking forward to that station opening and serving their community when it comes online later this year.

Mr WHETSTONE: With due respect, we have seen four years of decline in volunteer numbers. I visit a lot of CFS stations and, yes, there are a lot of aged volunteers, but I would like to know if the government is looking at putting in a youth volunteering program, or some form of initiative that will attract the younger set in South Australia. I do not want to get off track, but I would just like to make the comment that there are programs now where there is an incentivisation for volunteers, particularly for emergency services, to be incentivised to come and volunteer by having a discount on their HECS debt.

There are a number of initiatives that I think the government should be working harder on in prioritising volunteer numbers, whether they be old or new, but if you are looking for a younger set, I would really urge you to look at some of those models. You have to have a carrot and stick approach. My concern, speaking to CFS captains and CFS stations, is that they are all very concerned about the lack of volunteers, the aged volunteers and some of those stations that are having to close because of no volunteers. I know that is not a question. It is a comment, but I am genuinely concerned for the volunteer exercise.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: To expand on that—and I appreciate your feedback—I believe the average age of a volunteer through the CFS is 47. There are opportunities here to be thinking about how we recruit more people, and I agree that this is a conversation that needs to be had and one that I am looking forward to continuing in this role. As I said earlier, you go to regional communities—I grew up in a regional community—and you often find the same five people volunteering everywhere.

Just recently when I was in Two Wells seeing the member, Tony Piccolo, we visited the brigade there and I then went to the netball and the cricket up the road and was surprised to see pretty much the same people. It is a sporting hub and there is cricket, netball and football at that hub. It was a good reminder. We need to think about how we attract other people into these roles. I agree with your thoughts that there is a conversation that does need to be had and one I look forward to having.

Mr WHETSTONE: Moving on to activity indicators, Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 39, the number of accredited training course participants for incident management was projected to be 900, but CFS only reached 650. What was the reason for the shortfall and why is the agency projecting 1,000 for 2025-26, given last year's result?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: My understanding is that we are merging two programs together to make them more efficient. When we bring those resources together we can have a better outcome for the people we are providing that service to.

Mr WHETSTONE: CFS intergovernment transfers, Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 40: the 2024-25 estimated income results for intergovernment transfers is significantly higher than the budgeted amount of $104 million versus the $132 million. It suddenly drops again this year to $106 million. Can you explain that variation, please?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: This is coming back to that crystal ball moment. Funding is made available for aerial support in the 2024-25 estimated result. Depending on the outcomes, that could change again when we come back to these budget papers. It is usually to do with aerial support and incident management support.

Mr WHETSTONE: MFS targets, Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 53: one of last year's targets was to modernise MFS policy. One of this year's targets is to deliver new initiatives and key infrastructure projects. Which agencies will MFS partner with, and what new initiatives and infrastructure projects are planned?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Can you repeat the budget line, sorry?

Mr WHETSTONE: It is under MFS targets 2025-26, Budget Paper 4, Volume 2, page 53.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Something that I have been pleasantly surprised to find is how well these agencies all work together.

Mr WHETSTONE: They talk.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: They do, they talk a lot actually. This is the quietest I have ever seen them. They do work together and it is across those agencies that they are able to get better outcomes. This is what this is highlighting. We know, for example, PPE cleaning has an opportunity there for them to work together about how they can better use those resources but also capital works as well on how they collaborate across all the agencies to get better outcomes through, as I have highlighted, the simple thing, which might seem simple but it is not really, of cleaning our PPE and having better outcomes for the safety of our volunteers and personnel.

The CHAIR: Thank you, minister. The time allotted having expired, I declare the examination of the proposed payments for SAFECOM, Country Fire Service, SA Metropolitan Fire Service and State Emergency Service complete. The further examination of proposed payments for the Administered Items for the Department of Treasury and Finance is referred to Estimates Committee A.

Sitting suspended from 14:33 to 14:45.


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