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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-05-14 Daily Xml
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Metropolitan Fire Service

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:07): My question is again to the Premier. Did the South Australian MFS comply with its legal obligations and, if not, why not? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: He is asking the Premier for a legal opinion, which is out of order.

The SPEAKER: Can you repeat the question, deputy leader?

Mr TEAGUE: I will put it this way then. The question is to the Premier. Is the Premier aware of the decision of Deputy President Eaton in the matter of the MFS in the South Australian Employment Tribunal and, if so, what is the government going to do about it? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TEAGUE: It was noted by Deputy President Eaton in her reasons for decision, and I quote:

I am concerned about the priority given to SAMFS senior management to compliance with its legal obligations to its employees.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy) (15:08): To just bring the house up to date with the matter that the deputy leader is asking a question on, albeit somewhat opaquely from the beginning, in late 2024 the MFS became aware of an administrative error which had led to the non-payment of some travel allowances. That error related to staff responsible for the manual processing of travel allowances changing roles and misunderstanding the extent to which that task was automated by the MFS rostering software.

Unfortunately, there were delays by the MFS in the correction of that error and processing outstanding payments, which led to orders being made by the South Australian Employment Tribunal, including for the payment of arrears and the payment of interest. The MFS acknowledged that firefighters were entitled to payment of those allowances. The chief officer wrote to the firefighters acknowledging the administrative error, apologising for the delays in fixing it, and confirming that the MFS was working to resolve the issue. The chief officer also provided a number of updates to firefighters about the matter as it progressed.

The Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services has placed on record in parliament the government's deep regret that firefighters were delayed in receiving payment for those travel allowances. While the Attorney-General was advised that the situation was the full result of an administrative error rather than any deliberate intention by the MFS to withhold payments, the government acknowledges that it should not have happened, it took too long to correct, and it is not good enough.

The MFS has advised that it has taken active steps to put processes in place to ensure this does not happen again, and has advised that all outstanding travel allowance payments following the orders of the tribunal have now been processed to Shared Services for payment, and that a dedicated email has been provided so that any firefighters with concerns about travel payments can contact a staff member within the MFS.

Every worker in South Australia deserves to have their wages and entitlements paid in full and on time, not least our hardworking firefighters. The government unreservedly apologises that this did not occur in this instance.

The SPEAKER: Before members leave, I would like to remind everyone that you have been invited to an important session tomorrow delivered by the Our Watch Institute. The presentations focus on the primary prevention of violence against women, and is a key part of the parliament's commitment to implement workplace and equality standards. There are three different sessions available throughout the day, and the expectation is that we will get as many MPs to those sessions as possible. Please RSVP if you have not done so already.

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