CFA army to descend on Victorian polling booths in July 2 federal election blitz

UPDATE: FORMER Labor speaker Anna Burke says the Andrews Government’s sparking of the CFA pay dispute could cost Labor federal seats this weekend.

• Daniel Andrews’ UFU backing damaging federal Labor’s campaign
• CFA volunteer convoy sends message to Daniel Andrews
• Editorial: Daniel Andrews’ legacy lies in defeat

A FORMER Labor speaker has hit out at the Andrews Government for sparking the CFA pay dispute during the Federal Election campaign.

Anna Burke told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell the pay dispute was an issue before the last state election and the “more sensible approach” would have been to wait and “keep talking”.

Ms Burke said the outcome could cost Labor federal seats this weekend.

“This dispute has been running since before the last state election they could have just waited, they could have just kept talking and I think that would have been the more sensible approach,

“That’s what everyone wanted to do,” she said.

It comes after a 10,000-strong Country Fire Authority army is to descend on polling booths throughout Victorian marginal seats in an election day blitz

In a devastating blow to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, the volunteers, angered by the Andrews Government’s firefighter pay deal, will also defy an order from the CFA chief officer not to wear uniforms.

One senior CFA volunteer organiser said: “We’ll be there with our trucks, carrying signs, wearing our yellows.”

A person holds up a poster referring to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) pay deal behind Opposition leader Bill Shorten. Picture: Kym Smith/AAP

The election day push could also see volunteers face off with hundreds of United Firefighters Union members who plan to hand out how-to-vote cards putting the Liberals last.

The volunteer army — furious over the pay deal it says will destroy the CFA — is expected to focus on key seats Corangamite, Dunkley, La Trobe, and McEwen. Its members also plan to have a strong presence in Bendigo.

Mr Shorten, who has avoided “CFA supporter seats’’ during the campaign amid growing anger over the deal, could not escape the issue yesterday.

A volunteer hands out how to vote info wearing a black CFA shirt at a pre-poll voting centre. Picture: Peter Ristevski

On venturing into the seat of Dunkley, he was ambushed by a sign-waving anti-deal protester.

Polls show more than 40 per cent of marginal seat voters are less likely to vote Labor due to Mr Andrews’s handling of the CFA dispute.

It comes as police were reportedly forced to intervene at a polling booth in La Trobe on Saturday, after a man claiming to be a firefighter intimidated and swore at Liberal volunteers.

Mr Shorten’s visit to Dunkley yesterday, where he campaigned at Frankston station, was his first since April 30.

That is despite the seat, held by the Liberals with a margin of 5.6 per cent, having been considered winnable by Labor.

He last visited McEwen, which the ALP holds with just a 0.2 per cent margin, on May 28. And he has not visited Corangamite, held by the Liberals by 4 per cent, since May 16.

Asked if voters would punish him for the Andrews Government’s actions over the CFA deal, Mr Shorten said they were “separate matters” but conceded that he was “disappointed” the dispute was still running.

“The fact of the matter is the safety of all Victorians is what interests me,” he said.

“I have no doubt that career firefighters and voluntary firefighters and their leaders will sort these issues out.

“I’m a bit disappointed that it has taken as long as it has but, as I’ve said in the past, in each negotiation there is always a start, middle and end.

“Volunteers are at the heart of the CFA, and I’ve got no doubt this will be resolved and I’ve got no doubt that it is a state issue,” Mr Shorten said.

He added that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s intervention in the matter “doesn’t appear to stack up legally”.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull listens to CFA volunteers in Geelong. Picture: Nathan Dyer

“I think what is important is the volunteers and career firefighters are not used as pawns in some federal election when the solution resides far closer to home at the state level.”

CFA Chief Fire Officer Joe Buffone has twice in recent days sent an email warning CFA personnel promoting political positions they “are not to wear any CFA uniform”.

A senior source said they believed the uniform ban would not affect the planned turnout because, unlike the UFU, they would not be handing out how-to-vote-cards.

[e-mail]

MORE:

HEAD OF CFA PLEADS WITH VOLUNTEERS TO STAY

FULL IMPACT OF CFA TAKEOVER REVEALED