Tasmania Fire Service: Key positions unfilled amid vacancy controls

Right to information documents have revealed nearly 30 TFS positions remain unfilled. Labor has accused the state government of going slow on filling them to try and pinch pennies.

TFS firefighter Jeremy Patterson, UFUA - Tasmania organiser Stephen McCallum and Tasmanian Labor emergency management spokeswoman Michelle O'Byrne MP at Northern Region Headquarters in Youngtown. Picture: Alex Treacy

DOCUMENTS released under right to information have revealed the Tasmania Fire Service has 28 unfilled positions at the height of the fire season.

According to the documents, obtained by the state opposition, 13 of those are in the TFS Community Fire Safety Division. Other roles are in the Northern Region, Southern Region, Operations, FireComm and the Chief Executives Office. The figures were correct at November 24, 2022.

Labor’s emergency management spokeswoman Michelle O’Byrne said on Monday the state government was deliberately leaving some positions unfilled due to the imposition of “vacancy controls”.

She said this meant the state government “doesn’t have enough money to fund all the existing positions,” so they “take their time (hiring) or never fill them”.

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Ms O’Byrne called on the state government to make TFS a stand-alone agency again – “they can’t be the masters of their own destiny,” she said – and increase its funding.

She further called on the state government to release the TFS ‘risk to resource’ report, commissioned in 2019 to review TFS’ current operations and identify future areas that would need investment due to, for instance, new or denser suburbs.

“I expect (the report) would find they need substantial additional funding,” Ms O’Byrne said.

United Firefighters Union of Australia organiser Stephen McCallum said Tasmanian firefighters are already “stretched to the limit”.

“We are really close to temporarily closing fire stations, people are working six days a week and doing more and more overtime,” he said.

“Burnie and Devonport have a shortage of crews on a weekly or daily basis. It’s been decades since the North-West had a whole shift rostered on.”

He said the 28 vacancies were the “tip of the iceberg,” as they didn’t include firefighters on long-term leave or workers compensation.

“Realistically (the vacancies) are double,” Mr McCallum said.

Acting Premier Michael Ferguson accused Labor of “politicking”.

“We’ve got more positions in fire and emergency services than ever before,” he said.

The vacancies were a “demonstration the state government has got career opportunities we’ve been creating,” he said.

It was also a “difficult time to recruit anyone for any role,” Mr Ferguson said, noting the “record low unemployment” Australia-wide (Tasmania’s figure is 4 per cent).

Asked about the vacancy controls, he said they were not in place “that I’m aware of”.

However, on August 24 last year, Emergency Management Minister Felix Ellis told state parliament they had been implemented.

“I am advised that vacancy management committees are a common practice across agencies, including the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management,” he said.