Victoria’s fire service ‘begins consultation’ to get unvaccinated firefighters back to work

Victorian firefighters who refused to have three Covid vaccines may finally be allowed back to work as fresh talks begin.

Some Fire Rescue Victoria staff who were stood down for refusing a Covid jab are keen to get back to work. Picture: Andrew Henshaw/NewsWire

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Professional firefighters who refused to have Covid-19 jabs may soon be allowed to return to work after Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed on Thursday that it was looking to lift its vaccination mandate.

A decision would bring to an end the long-running dispute involving at least 50 Victorian workers who were stood down without pay because they refused to comply with workplace requirements to have three Covid vaccines.

The order remained in place after other frontline agencies lifted their mandates and official commonwealth health advice was changed to recommend only one primary dose for healthy adults, with the option of a booster a year later.

In a statement on Thursday, Fire Rescue Victoria said it was consulting with staff and unions about lifting the mandate.

“FRV has commenced the first element of the consultative process and hopes that it can be collaborative and completed within a reasonable timeframe,’’ a spokesperson said.

This follows the Victorian health department’s decision to lift Covid vaccine mandates for health workers on October 4.

Queensland and Western Australia rescinded their requirements for health workers in 2023, and NSW and South Australia followed suit earlier this year. Unvaccinated NSW firefighters were allowed to return to work a year ago.

In a note to staff, Fire Rescue Victoria commissioner Gavin Freeman noted there were no longer any public health orders requiring Covid vaccination in Victoria.

“This is consistent with the position that now exists in all states and territories in Australia, where vaccination is ‘recommended’, rather than the subject of a mandate,” he said.

“FRV has consultation obligations, both to the unions that operate in our workplace and to you as employees, which we must meet before any change to our position can take effect.’’

The announcement left affected workers wondering why the mandate was not being lifted ­immediately.

Dan McDonald, the chairman of the Australian Firefighters’ Alliance which was formed to fight for workers opposed to the mandates, said Fire Rescue Victoria’s promised consultation process was open-ended with no time frame for a decision.

“This consultation process will involve surveys and discussions and opinion polls; there’s no sunset clause. They lack the courage and the backbone to make a decision,’’ he said.

Mr McDonald said affected workers had suffered significant hardship, stood down without pay for up to three years, and were keen to get back to work.

The United Firefighters Union Victorian branch, which said in a statement in July 2023 that it supported the mandates, was contacted for comment.