SES now able to claim for lost wages alongside firefighting volunteers this fire season

Queensland SES volunteers deployed this fire season will now be able to claim for lost wages alongside their firefighting counterparts.

STATE Emergency Service volunteers will now be eligible for up to $6000 in payments for helping out this extraordinary fire season alongside their firefighting counterparts.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last night confirmed Queensland’s SES volunteers would also get the $300-a-day payments initially announced for volunteer firefighters last week by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

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She said she had written to Mr Morrison in December asking that they also be included in the compensation scheme, to be administered by the state.

SES Toowoomba Group team leader Ben Kitley at a forward command post in Crows Nest during the fire emergency, in November. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Under it, QFES volunteer firefighters and SES volunteers working alongside them can apply for payments once they have lost income working more than 10 calendar days between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.

For example, a person who does 16 days of volunteer work will be able to claim six of those days, to the value of $1800.

“We’re going to make sure this funding gets out the door as soon as possible,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“This year’s bushfire season has been long and hard both in Queensland and interstate and many of our hardworking QFES volunteers have given up a considerable amount of personal time in battling these blazes,” the Premier said.

Staff and volunteer fire fighters from the urban and rural fire brigade ahead of their deployment from Brisbane to help fight fires in New South Wales. Picture: AAP Image/Josh Woning

“It’s only fair those that have suffered a loss of income as a result are fairly and quickly compensated.”

The payments are up to $300 per person, per day, capped at a total of $6000.

They are tax-free and not means-tested and applications will open next week.

The issue was at the centre of a political stoush between the Palaszczuk and Morrison governments last week when Queensland initially labelled as “insulting” the offer of volunteer payments.

The Premier had originally demanded a national deal instead, but then signed up the next day.

Visit www.qld.gov.au/volunteercompensation or phone [phone] for details of the scheme.

Originally published as SES now able to claim for lost wages alongside firefighting volunteers this fire season