Scott Morrison announces paid leave for public service volunteer fire fighters
Scott Morrison calls on business to follow suit as he announces move to ensure fire fighters don’t need to dip into their leave entitlements to keep battling blazes.
Scott Morrison has announced that Commonwealth public servants fighting the bushfires will have their paid volunteer leave allowance boosted — effective immediately — and called on big business to follow suit.
Speaking at the Mount Barker Country Fire Service headquarters in South Australia, the Prime Minister revealed that he had directed all Commonwealth public service leaders to offer at least 20 working days paid leave for volunteers in a bid to help the firefighting efforts.
The changes bring arrangements for volunteer firefighters into line with ADF reservists, with Mr Morrison saying that additional leave — on top of the 20 working days — should be provided when needed.
“We’re helping get more boots on the ground and giving people who’ve been out there for weeks some relief,” he said.
“One of the things I’ve heard on the ground is that some people are dipping into their other leave entitlements to stay out there battling
blazes. Today’s announcement is about ensuring our volunteer firefighters can keep focused on the job at hand.
“We’ve also already deployed our Defence Forces to assist with logistics, fire mapping and even meals and accommodation, already nearly $23 million in disaster recovery payments has flowed to affected families and businesses with more to come, and we’ve boosted our support for waterbombing planes and helicopters by $11 million.
“We’ll do everything in our power to ensure these fireys have the resources and support they need.”
Mr Morrison called on large employers to follow the government’s lead, but acknowledged his announcement did not directly “address the situation for self-employed and small businesses.”
ANZ announced on Monday that it would give special ongoing paid leave to staff volunteer emergency workers while fires burned across the country.
The Australian understands that the announcement is aimed at ensuring more Australian Public Service volunteers can be in the field — reducing the burden for self employed volunteers or those firefighters who work for small businesses.
The announcement will not change any of the more than 100 APS enterprise agreements which each have different volunteer leave entitlements – with Departmental Secretaries able to use their discretion to ensure the Prime Minister’s announcement can be effectively implemented.
There are about 150,000 APS public servants and staff although no data is kept on how many are volunteer firefighters.
Mr Morrison said these public servants were not all based in Canberra.
“They are all over the country,” he said. “They are involved in their local brigades.”
Anthony Albanese issued a statement saying that Labor welcomed the government’s decision to provide additional support for volunteer firefighters in the public service, but suggested it didn’t go far enough and that many volunteers would not benefit.
Mr Albanese also said that the additional support was something that Mr Morrison had “repeatedly claimed” was unnecessary.
“It’s good that federal public servants will receive the same conditions currently enjoyed by Army reservists, but many volunteer firefighters will not be assisted by this decision,” Mr Albanese said.
“Many private sector workers, self-employed workers, contractors and family business owners have been fighting fires, not just for days or weeks, but for months.
“These firefighters have to pay bills and put food on the table for their families. No firefighter should have to choose between continuing to serve their community with courage and distinction and being able to provide the essentials of life.”
Mr Albanese said there was a precedent for providing support for volunteer firefighters, arguing that the Keating government did this in 1994.
“This issue was urgent when Labor called on the Prime Minister to act in mid-November. With fires raging across the country it is now more urgent than ever.”
“Clearly there is more to be done and we urge the Prime Minister to investigate all options as this national crisis deepens.”
Fire fighters split over push for cash
Mr Morrison’s announcement comes after NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons hit back at a push for volunteer firefighters to receive financial support, slapping down the credibility of the group making the claim.
The President of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Mick Holton has today said that volunteers often spent their own money to help keep communities safe.
“Whilst we accept that that’s part of what we do, in this particular fire season, I’m really concerned that it’s going to start impacting on their own welfare,” Mr Holton told Sky News. “We need to at least address this as a concern.”
But Mr Fitzsimmons said he put “very little store” in anything said by Mr Hilton’s organisation and argued it was imperative to protect the “extraordinary spirit that is volunteerism.”
“The only time I ever hear anything about it or my organisation ever hears anything from that mob is through the media,” Mr Fitzsimmons said. “There’s no visibility. There’s no access to information about who they claim to represent, how many they represent, how they operate.”
“Unfortunately their motivations are really unclear.”
My Fitzsimmons argued that firefighters were not interested in getting compensated for their service.
“Overwhelmingly in my decades of service and even getting around some of these fire grounds in the last few days, the volunteers don’t want payment. It doesn’t make them volunteers,” he said.
“They have given me that message loud and clear again and again. It’s what I’ve grown up with as the sentiment across the organisation.”
Mr Albanese has been a strong supporter of the push to compensate volunteer firefighters but argues it should be up to the government to determine how.
However, the Opposition leader has suggested the compensation could come in the form of tax concessions or a one-off leave payment.
Mr Albanese — who is visiting Katoomba in the Blue Mountains today — has also clashed with Mr FitSimmons by saying that every volunteer firefighter he had spoken to supported some kind of additional financial support.
“I’ve spoken to the volunteer firefighters and there’s not one of them that I’ve spoken to who hasn’t said that some form of compensation is required,” Mr Albanese said. “Not one.” “This shouldn’t be a big issue.”
NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott has lashed out at Mr Albanese’s plan to compensate volunteers, warning that it could compromise firefighting efforts by reducing brigade numbers and undermining the volunteer ethos.
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