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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-09-24 Daily Xml
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Fire Services

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:56): I rise on this MOI to initially place some concerns that I have about the government's proposed destruction of the cultures and the individuality of the emergency services, namely, the fire services and the CFS. For the life of me I cannot understand why you would risk damaging an already fragile volunteer situation with the CFS and the SES simply to appease the United Firefighters Union. I say that the model that the government are now adopting is a model that the Labor government has had as an ideology for some 30 years.

It is interesting to see that the United Firefighters Union is conspicuous by the fact that it has been so quiet on this issue. There is a simple reason for that, and that is that the United Firefighters Union is the only organisation that stands to gain out of this proposal. Whilst I do have respect for a lot of the work that minister Piccolo does, I think this is ill-conceived and that whoever has been advising him on this is not working in the best interests of the protection of life and property in this state or, indeed, that of the volunteers.

I also want to say how privileged we have been over a very long period of time in having excellent chief fire officers. Without naming them all I will talk about the present one, Mr Greg Nettleton. He was appointed by this government and has done his level best to look after the CFS. I believe he has not been consulted with respect to the model that was put up.

I believe that it is important. Even though on the ground sometimes volunteers do not see the benefit of having a chief fire officer, a deputy chief fire officer and a managerial structure, I can tell you, as someone who has been a volunteer but also a minister, that they are paramount to the wellbeing of the Country Fire Service.

I could make similar comments about the SES and also about the MFS. I had the privilege of appointing the current MFS Chief Fire Officer, Mr Grant Lupton, after a worldwide search, only a few months before losing office as a government. I have not had a lot to do with Mr Lupton since then, as you would appreciate, but I know that successive ministers of the Labor government have strongly appreciated his professionalism.

I also know from talking to MFS firefighters on the ground that they respect and admire the commitment and compassion that Mr Lupton shows for them. The United Firefighters Union (I would call them a dinosaur union) ought to look at the model that the Police Association has if it wants to modernise itself and be thoroughly supportive of the interests and welfare of its people, such as the Police Association has done for decades in South Australia.

What I worry about is this: when you look at the capability of someone like Chief Fire Officer Grant Lupton, he comes from an international background. He has been in senior positions in firefighting in New Zealand and Canada. He understands paid and volunteer firefighters. Of course, he is probably one of the longest serving chief fire officers and chief executive officers in the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service, having taken up the position in March 2002.

I note with interest, as I look at documentation to do with emergency services around the world, that for the year 2013-14 Grant Lupton not only was chief fire officer and chief executive officer for the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service but he also became the president and chairman of the Institution of Fire Engineers internationally. This is not only an honour for Mr Lupton but it is also an honour for South Australian firefighters that their chief would be able to take up such a strong position and show such leadership and capability.

I am extremely concerned that we are going to lose those sorts of capabilities because we will not have chief fire officers: we will have a commissioner. I am very concerned about the future protection of life and property in this state. I encourage my colleagues to look really closely at the model. I believe there is certainly an arrangement between the UFU and the government that is not in the interests of the long-term protection of life and property in this state.

I cannot understand how a commissioner can be operationally responsible in a disaster situation or major emergency situations, such as chief officers are. I am sure eventually we will have more to say about this, but I am concerned that the government is going to do this by sleight of hand and that the legislation will come very late to this chamber. I appeal to the government to come and brief all MPs as a matter of urgency.

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