For anyone living out in regional Victoria, in many ways, we have come to rely upon the men and women who serve as volunteers in the Country Fire Authority branches around the state.
This last few months has shown the degree to which these valiant members of the public will go to protect our homes and our lands. Perhaps one of the more distressing things is when there are accidents and loss of life in doing the job.
But while we contemplate and marvel their service, we often fail to recognise that in many respects, they are to a degree, self funded. The equipment and trucks they have at their disposal have to be funded by the brigades, $1 for each $2 funded by the State Government.
Tania Maxwell MP, Member for Northern Victoria, has called on the Government to review its requirement on CFA volunteer brigades to fundraise for their own equipment, calling it “unfair and a disadvantage to regional communities”.
The regional MP said that it was another example of the inequity between metro and regional areas. “Regional volunteer brigades provide an invaluable service to Victoria, demonstrated overwhelmingly in the last 3 weeks in their mobilisation to combat the firestorm battled across multiple areas.” she said.
“Forcing volunteer brigades to fundraise for their own fire trucks and equipment compromises the safety of our regions and it places an enormous burden on volunteers and on communities, who often struggle already.”
Tania Maxwell said given the severity of the current fire season, this should be addressed as a matter of urgency and separate to the independent investigation into the fire season.
“The general public would not expect police to provide their own tasers or divvy vans or for paramedics to pay for their own ambulances.”
