Fire services bill passes Parliament

STATE Labor’s controversial fire services bill has become law, with Geelong-based upper house MPs voting on either side of the issue.

Under the reforms, which will not come into effect until the 2020/21 fire season, the new Fire Rescue Victoria agency will replace the existing Metropolitan Fire Brigade boundaries and serve metropolitan Melbourne, outer urban areas and larger regional centres across Victoria.

It will also alter the boundaries between the respective services and provide presumptive rights to cancer compensation for career and volunteer firefighters (depending on cancer type and length of service).

Labor and the Liberals lobbied crossbenchers heavily to support or reject the bill, respectively.

There was also an unsuccessful attempt to split the bill to pass the presumptive cancer legislation on its own.

Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick was one of four crossbenchers to side with the government, and said his decision was based on what the legislation would mean for the safety of not only Victorians but the firefighters themselves.

“My decision has been guided by that premise, not for political gain for myself, not by ideologically driven agendas that see one side of politics pitted against the other, seeking a victory at all costs, and not by a well-intentioned but misplaced sense of ownership, but by whether what can be delivered by these reforms is a better modern model of fire response that keeps pace with our ever-growing and changing population.”

Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party MP Stuart Grimley voted against the bill. He also supported the presumptive legislation being passed separately.

“If we are serious about presumptive legislation, then the bill should be considered as a standalone and must include all emergency services personnel, both paid and volunteer. Simple,” he said.

“Earlier I raised the question posed by many: will these reforms make for a safer Victoria? The wide-ranging consultation process that I have undertaken with the constituents of Western Victoria has told me emphatically that it will not be safer.”