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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-01 Daily Xml
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Motions

Country Fire Service

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (16:36): I move:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into the Country Fire Service (CFS), with particular reference to:

(a) assessing support mechanisms available to volunteer firefighters throughout the state;

(b) examining the processes, procedures, criteria, and timeliness of investigations into volunteer conduct;

(c) examining the adequacy and state of facilities at CFS stations across regional South Australia, with an emphasis on change rooms, bathrooms, and other essential amenities;

(d) determining the transparency and effectiveness of the CFS's capital programs, including facility and appliance replacement programs;

(e) evaluating the communication channels and procedures within the CFS, especially concerning volunteers' ability to voice their concerns and the organisation’s responsiveness;

(f) assessing the role and responsibility of the minister in addressing and supporting the concerns of the CFS volunteers;

(g) exploring the adequacy of proposed investments into station upgrades, equipment provisions and other support mechanisms for the CFS volunteers; and

(h) any other relevant matters related to the functioning, governance, and support structures of the CFS.

2. That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.

I do not think there is a person in this chamber or indeed in the other place or anywhere around South Australia who does not hold the Country Fire Service (CFS) in very high regard in the South Australian community. The bravery and the commitment of our CFS volunteers really is second to none.

Those members are our family members. They are husbands, they are wives, they are sons and daughters, they are our mates, they are our community members who put their lives on the line to save the lives and the businesses of people around this state, and they are increasingly being asked to do a significant amount of work and respond to a significant amount of emergencies and, indeed, life-threatening situations. As I said, they put their lives on hold to serve our community, and it is vitally important that our CFS volunteers have strong support systems and resources in place for them to be able to do this very important work.

I know that many would have seen the recent media reports over the last week or so in terms of CFS volunteers. Indeed, I have spoken with many volunteers around the state and have spoken with many of my colleagues, who can share similar stories. It is vitally important that we have these support mechanisms in place, that we understand that the processes that look into volunteer conduct are in place and that the transparency and the effectiveness of those processes, in terms of our volunteers, are held and put to light.

I would like to now just acknowledge the Hon. Tammy Franks' motion on 18 October in which she called for an audit into CFS facilities. I would say that it is vitally important, too, that our volunteers enjoy and can utilise the equipment that allows them to do their great work. I speak with volunteers around our state, and quite honestly some are operating out of very simple sheds and trying to do the work and protect their communities when the facilities are not exactly up to scratch. There are volunteers who need to walk across the road even just to go to the bathroom or to get changed. So I certainly acknowledge the Hon. Tammy Franks' motion in terms of the need for an audit. This select committee will go some way to looking into that as well.

As I said, within the motion details we are looking into support mechanisms for our volunteer firefighters, investigating the processes into volunteer conduct and examining the adequacy of the facilities at our CFS stations—emphasising those amenities, those change rooms. Indeed, we have some fantastic female volunteer CFS firefighters all around the state who do a tremendous job. We are also looking into the transparency and effectiveness of the CFS's capital programs, the communication channels within the CFS, the role of the minister in supporting CFS volunteers, the adequacy of investments into station upgrades and equipment, and any other relevant matters.

These people are putting their lives on the line every day to ensure that our regional communities are safe, protecting businesses and lives, and I thank them for it. I certainly hope that this chamber will support this motion into putting together a select committee so that our volunteers, the management of the CFS and, indeed, people around our state can speak to the issues and the opportunities that face the CFS here, now and into the future.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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