Victorian fire services split: CFA and MFB to divide in radical plan

LATEST: VICTORIA’S Emergency Services minister insists splitting paid and volunteer firefighters into separate agencies will modernise Victoria’s fire service. But volunteer firefighters have slammed the decision.

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LATEST: VICTORIA’S Emergency Services minister insists splitting paid and volunteer firefighters into separate agencies will deliver a modern fire service for Victoria.

The iconic CFA will be dismantled by Premier Daniel Andrews in a bid to end an industrial war over a union-friendly EBA that has engulfed his government.

In a desperate and controversial attempt to settle the crisis, paid and volunteer firefighters will be split into separate agencies under a radical plan to be unveiled today.

State Cabinet decided last night the government would abolish the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and move all its firefighters, plus the CFA’s paid staff, to a new agency called Fire Rescue Victoria, which will fight fires in Melbourne and major regional centres.

Emergency Services Minister James Merlino today defended the move and said he had been talking to the management of CFA and volunteers in recent weeks about the problems in the fire services.

But he didn’t say whether he had specifically consulted them on the government’s plans to split the CFA.

“I’ve been talking to every one, I’ve been talking to volunteers, CFA, the UFU, VFBV, the boards of both organisations, I’ve been talking to communities around the state,” he told 3AW.

“This is a modern fire service for a modern Victoria.

Emergency Services Minister James Merlino. Picture: Andrew Tauber

“The reality is we’ve got fire services based on a 1950s model and structures.

“There’s been a lot of deliberations on these matters. You look at the eight reviews over the last 10 years, all of those reviews talked about how the structures are outdated ... all of them talked about the need for reform.”

Asked four times whether the reviews recommended splitting the fire services, Mr Merlino said: “You will see with each of these reforms, the genesis of them will be in the reviews into our fire services.”

Mr Merlino said a panel would be set up to redraw the boundaries and legislation would be introduced in the coming weeks.

The move will require law changes, with MPs warning last night this could set them up for another brutal campaign on fire services.

One MP said the plan, done “in secret without any consultation”, came about because of the “demands of Peter Marshall”, rather than concerns about community safety.

An Andrews Government minister said “who knows?” when asked about the cost of the restructure, while another MP said the party would lose country seats at the election.

Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Sarah Matray

Volunteers with the CFA will be told they can remain with the existing 1220 brigades, and at the 35 integrated stations in growth areas.

In a bid to buy off dissenters, they will also get $100 million for new stations, training, and recruitment.

Premier Daniel Andrews said today a new EBA would have to be agreed with the paid firefighters after his government move to create a new fire agency.

But he stressed that agreement would go through with little dispute.

He disagreed that the previous agreement gave the United Firefighters Union veto power over CFA management.

After flying in from China yesterday, the Premier held a Labor cabinet meeting that authorised a move to split the fire services between paid and volunteer.

Mr Andrews told the ABC the CFA board would remain in place and the volunteer organisation would receive $110 million additional funding.

He said there would be a new fire rescue service chief executive and the MFB board would be replaced with an advisory panel.

Mr Andrews said both paid firefighters and volunteers would continue to co-mingle at some stations.

“When there’s an emergency, it doesn’t matter what colour uniform you are wearing,” he said.

Former Emergency Services minister Jane Garrett reserved her judgment on splitting the fire services until she saw further detail.

She said the government should take “deep consultation” with volunteers during two-year process to split the service.

Ms Garrett resigned after she refused to sign-off on a union friendly EBA for the Country Fire Authority.

“I did resign on these matters,” she said. “I’m not in the cabinet and will work around the issues once it come to the Labor Caucus.

“But my focus is on those people who do a terrific job are looked after and that is what the Premier said this morning.”

Ms Garrett said the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission would also play an important role in fixing the culture inside the CFA and MFB.

But the controversial split, first revealed by the Herald Sun, is still likely to create a firestorm in volunteer ranks where many fear a crucial surge capacity for major incidents will be diminished or members will desert the CFA.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria slammed the decision, calling it “simply bad government”.

A CFA volunteer firefighter on the scene of an out-of-control bushfire.

“The decision of the Andrews State Cabinet to ram through changes to Victoria’s fire services without public and CFA volunteer consultation disregards Victoria’s community safety needs and is unlawful,” the statement released last night said.

“The Victorian Government is again trying to circumvent its obligations and requirements under Victoria’s emergency management laws, in particular the CFA Act, through an industrial deal.”

It warned the Government wanted the new structure so it could ram through the union’s agreement, giving it large scale control over Victoria’s fire services.

“This will both undermine community safety and cost taxpayers and their households an arm and a leg.”

Government sources indicated the reforms could take two years to implement, meaning the issue will now be central to next year’s election.

The contentious fire service boundaries around Melbourne that govern which incidents are responded to by the MFB and the CFA will also be reviewed by an independent panel.

A CFA demonstration outside James Merlino's office last year. Picture: Norm Oorloff

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the Andrews Government ripping apart the CFA will mean the loss of volunteers at the 35 integrated stations.

“In addition to these losses, there could be thousands more demoralised volunteer firefighters who leave after Daniel Andrews’ divisive campaign,” he said.

Mr Guy said not a single review into the CFA or MFB had recommended restructuring the fire services.

“This is worse than a political fix. This is a political fix that puts the lives and property of Victorians at risk.”

The government will promise the Fire Services levy will not be raised within the next two years, and new gender targets for the fire services will be established to try to “modernise” the force.

Mr Andrews sacked the CFA board in June last year to force the organisation to accept a workplace agreement it feared would harm volunteers and hand too much control to the UFU.

The Turnbull Government later introduced changes to the Fair Work Act, which torpedoed the proposed workplace agreement and prompted the restructure plan.

Legal advice to federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash, obtained by the Herald Sun, says the changes do not prevent the CFA signing a new agreement.

Senator Cash said on Thursday night Mr Andrews’ restructure plan was “based on a deliberate and blatant falsehood”.

A Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria spokesman said on Thursday night the restructure was an attempt to circumvent Victorian laws supporting volunteers.

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