Union-backed push to divide Victoria’s fire services CFA and MFB growing

UPDATE: LABOR MPs are bracing for the damaging CFA dispute to erupt again as the Andrews Government considers a radical fix.

Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Alex Coppel

LABOR MPs are bracing for the damaging CFA dispute to erupt again as the Andrews Government considers a radical fix.

Emergency Services Minister James Merlino declared on Wednesday the government was looking at a “range of options” to end the dispute over a new CFA enterprise agreement for career firefighters.

Under one scenario, several hundred paid unionised CFA firefighters would be transferred to the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the country service would be restricted to a volunteers-only service.

A CFA crew on Black Saturday. Picture: Alex Coppel

Agreements between agencies — known as memorandums of understanding — would be needed, but legislation would also have to pass the state parliament.

This could lead to an Upper House stoush that some MPs say would be a “nightmare” in marginal seats.

But one MP in favour of change to try to end the ongoing political bloodshed said “it depends how it is managed”.

The United Firefighters Union has stepped up a campaign to drive the change, while Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria has urged the government not to mess with the current structure for fear it would affect surge capacities.

It is now 10 months since Premier Daniel Andrews, who spectacularly intervened in the EBA process, said “this dispute had to come to an end and I ended it”.

A CFA crew battle a blaze on the outskirts of Anakie.

His intervention triggered the sacking of a CFA board, and the resignation of former emergency services minister Jane Garrett and CFA chief executive Lucinda Nolan.

On Wednesday, when asked about a possible restructure, the premier said: “We’ll continue to support the CFA. I’ve got no announcements about the governance of the CFA to make today.”

Some Labor MPs told the Herald Sun they had been left in the dark about potential changes and feared something could be announced soon.

Senior emergency services experts have not been consulted about changes.

One MP said a potential widening of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade boundary to phase out integrated stations would have to include changes to the Fire Services Levy and how that was distributed between the MFB and CFA.

This week, a law firm that has acted for the United Firefighters Union wrote about the need for a new model because new legislation created by the Turnbull Government made a new union-friendly CFA EBA backed by the Premier “unworkable”.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said volunteers were owed the truth about any plan to shake up the CFA.

“Why is he so intent on smashing up Australia’s greatest volunteer fire organisation?” he said.

“I don’t get it nor do any other Victorians.”

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