Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Another Labor policy is to hand over the management of the volunteer based Country Fire Authority to the firefighters union. This power is very serious. It relates to decisions about what are literally life-and-death matters. These powers should reside with the chief fire officer. What will be the impact of this policy? As the board of Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria said in an open letter, which I table, Labor's policy would have:

… disastrous consequences for CFA.

It goes on to say:

… Labor's policy will reduce CFA's volunteer firefighting force by thousands of volunteers, pushing volunteers out of CFA stations and hundreds of CFA trucks off the road when we need them for major fires such as Black Saturday.

This represents a clear risk to the health and safety of Victorians with the advent of a Labor government. (Time expired)