Queensland Rural Fire Service fights new Disaster Management Amendment Bill

North Queensland fire brigades have shared their outrage at a new amendment bill they say is a “power grab” from rural firefighters who protect 93 per cent of the state. Read what the department’s response was.

A Whitsundays fire brigade has shared its outrage at a new amendment bill they say is a “power grab” away from rural firefighters in which the opportunity to make use of their “local knowledge” would be taken away.

Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery Nikki Boyd introduced the Disaster Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 on March 7 to parliament.

This draft bill aims to amend how to establish a new Queensland Fire Department (QFD), in the state’s review of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

Then-Minister Mark Ryan had started the lengthy process to update the service based on recommendations made by an independent review of fire services in 2021.

The Queensland government website states the amendment intends to “support accountability and assurance; facilitate the efficient management of the services and brigades; and address issues associated with the legal status of brigades and protection of brigade members.”

Abbott Point fire brigade second officer Bruce Smith said the bill would harm rural brigades rather than support them.

“Only a week” to react

General Manager of the Rural Fire Brigades Association of Queensland (RFBAQ) Justin Choveaux said it was ‘outrageous’ the 1400 brigades across Queensland were given only a week to send submissions to the committee to share their opinions on the new draft.

He said the RFBAQ reached out to the committee to extend the deadline but had received a negative response.

Rural Fire Brigades Association Queensland general manager Justin Choveaux says he is angry thieves have targeted his charity twice in three days.

“They know this is bad, and they are trying to rush it through as quickly as possible to lessen the pain,” he said adding that in that one week 54 brigades had managed to send through their letter, 50 of which would have been against the new bill.

Mr Smith said that communication to the brigades had been bad, with a lot of them still unsure what the new amendment bill meant.

A spokesman for the Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery Nikki Boyd said consultation with stakeholders had been ongoing since May last year.

Disempowering the rural community, disregard of local knowledge?

In a letter sent to the Community Safety and Legal Affairs Committee, the Abbott Point fire brigade stated that the new amendment would mean several positions in the fire service hierarchy would not be accessible to rural fire brigades.

The letter mentioned the roles of commissioner of the new QFD, the new role of Chief Fire Officer or incident controller would necessarily have to come from the Fire and Rescue Service, and cannot be from the Rural Fire Service.

A Queensland Rural Fire Service volunteer in the field.

The letter also stated they disagreed with giving the commissioner the right to sack any member of a rural fire brigade, and decide on who can hold what position.

“This is like legislating that the only person who can be the head of Queensland Health is a surgeon.” the statement said.

“It completely disempowers landholders and brigade members who understand how fire moves through the environment.”

In parliament, Minister Boyd had told the assembly these positions would be given to Queensland Fire and Rescue officers to “provide confidence [they] have the right experience”.

Mr Choveaux said limiting what rural fire brigades can be in charge of is dangerous as they are the ones who have the “local knowledge”.

“They’re the ones who go like: ‘I’ve seen this fire a couple of times, and what it does is this, and this is how we put it out,” he said.

“The decisions that need to be made now are in the hands of paid people a long way away who don’t come from Rural Fire.

“And that’s not what you need when you need to make a decision now.”

Mr Choveaux said the new amendment bill would also mean that money and assets that belong to the brigades would now be state owned.

Fire Minister Nikki Boyd has denied it, assuring rural fire brigades that local funds and assets would stay local following the legislative change.

She said the new management would “improve accountability and transparency by ensuring that financial contributions are properly recorded and accounted for by brigades”.

“The policy framework will make it clear that local assets like trucks and local funds will continue to solely benefit those local brigades and be accessed by local brigades for local purposes.”

Dale Last MP, Qld parliament Question Time, Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

Burdekin MP weighs in

Burdekin MP Dale Last called upon the government to extend the period of consultation as rural fire brigades would protect 93 per cent of the state.

“The Legislation needs to ensure that, no matter where those volunteers operate, their roles are respected, and that they have the structure and resources to respond appropriately.

“I don’t think it is too much to ask for volunteers who put themselves in harm’s way to be given time to have their say.”

Originally published as Queensland Rural Fire Service fights new Disaster Management Amendment Bill