Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-10-18 Daily Xml

Contents

COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE VOLUNTEERS

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:30): I have a supplementary question. Do I take it from the minister's answer that she does not see any encumbrances to the resolution of a charter in terms of inconsistency with the Fire and Emergency Services Act or the government's Advancing the Community Together Volunteer Compact?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:30): The first version that was presented to me was a copy of the volunteer charter from Victoria. I do not think there was even any reference to SAFECOM. We do have a different structure here in South Australia; we do not have paid country fire services, we have volunteers. That is what the reference would have been about. However, since that time (and as I have said), I have requested the SAFECOM advisory board, which is full of volunteers, to look at that and progress that charter. I have not even seen the final result; the association decided to withdraw it from the working party and the board itself, and until they bring it back I do not even know what is wrong with it.