Bushfires: Mixed fortunes in NSW firefighting budgets

Funding for professional firefighters has barely risen since the NSW government was elected almost a decade ago.

Fire crews fight to contain a blaze burning through Ben Bullen, northwest of Sydney, on Friday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Funding for professional firefighters has barely risen since the NSW government was elected almost a decade ago, with analysis showing budgets have flatlined and firefighter numbers have slid backwards in the face of deteriorating bushfire conditions.

While Fire and Rescue NSW has experienced a drop of 111 professional firefighters, including three full-time officers and 108 employed on-call, the Rural Fire Service budget has nearly doubled since 2011.

The RFS budget has risen from $239m in 2011 to $524m in the most recent budget. Volunteer firefighter numbers have also ­increased, according to official figures, from 70,448 to 71,234.

FRNSW is different to the RFS, the volunteer firefighting service at the forefront of current bushfire efforts. On-call firefighters are paid a weekly stipend to remain available, plus hourly fees if they receive a callout.

The FRNSW budget has risen slightly in the nine years since the Coalition was elected. In 2011, the agency received $636m, amounting to $750m in today’s terms, ­adjusted for inflation.

That figure rose to $774m in the latest state budget, an increase that critics say does not keep pace with the growing needs of the state.

By comparison, the NSW Police Force’s budget rose almost $500m in the same ­period. It, too, has faced challenges during this time, including the growing threat of terrorism and ­attempted plots.

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, who compiled the data, said the NSW government had ­invested too heavily in law ­enforcement at the expense of a growing bushfire calamity.

“At a time when we need hundreds and hundreds more firefighters and probably fewer police, we have got the exact opposite,’’ Mr Shoebridge said.

The NSW government has ­increased police numbers by more than 1000 officers since 2011, ­according to its own figures.

The union representing the rural firefighters said the data was misleading because it did not indicate how many were actively fighting fires.

“The government has to come clean with the actual numbers,” said Mick Holton, president of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, who said the actual number of firefighters was more likely to be below 20,000 volunteers, with the rest comprising staff who took care of catering, treasury and other administrative roles.

The NSW government said both the RFS and FRNSW were receiving record funding this ­financial year.