Andrews breaks promise to 100,000 emergency service volunteers

Victoria’s peak volunteer forum, representing 100,000 volunteers from across the CFA, SES, Red Cross and coast guards has been abolished.

Premier Daniel Andrews has broken a 2016 promise and pulled the plug on Victoria’s peak body representing 100,000 emergency service volunteers from the CFA to SES, Red Cross, ambulance, life saving and coast guard, Salvation Army and others.

The decision to terminate the Volunteer Consultative Forum, comes despite Mr Andrews signing Victoria’s Emergency Management Volunteer Statement on May 4, 2016, which says:

“The State of Victoria commits to engage and consult with emergency management volunteers and their representative bodies on emergency management issues and matters that affect them, through the Volunteer Consultative Forum”.

Emergency Management Volunteers Statement signed by Premier Daniel Andrews on May 4, 2016

Emergency Management Volunteers Statement clause committing to forming the Volunteer Consultative Forum

Volunteer leaders, representing 11 emergency service response and support organisation, only learned of the decision to abandon the forum at their last quarterly meeting less than a fortnight ago, chaired by Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Adam Barnett said the first sign that something was amiss was when no agenda was provided for the meeting.

“Andrew Crisp simply opened the meeting and announced the Emergency Services Minister (Jaclyn Symes) had made the decision to abandon the VCF,” Mr Barnett said.

“To say that the volunteers at that meeting drawn from the various agencies were saddened, hurt and disappointed would be an understatement.”

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Adam Barnett said his board had declared EMV an ‘Organisation of Concern’.

He said VFBV had learned the decision to disband the VCF was made after a secret briefing and recommendation was prepared by EMV and given by the Emergency Management Commissioner to the Minister.

“If we add up all the numerous committee’s and working groups that EMV host across the sector filled with agency representatives and employees, it is quite an indictment that the only committee dedicated to emergency management volunteers who make up more than 90 per cent of the workforce gets dumped.

“In response, the VFBV Board have unanimously declared EMV to be an ‘Organisation of Concern’,” he said.

Vic SES Volunteer Association president Faye Bendrups said she was absolutely shocked by Mr Crisp’s announcement, which “was made before any consultation, review or advanced notice” of the VCF’s 22 members and failed to honour the Premier’s statement of commitment.

Vic SES Volunteer Association president Faye Bendrups said volunteers were being “disrespected” by EMV and the Andrews Government.

“Consultation is critical, (given) the emergency workforce is made up of 87 to 90 per cent volunteers,” Dr Bendrups said.

“It’s disrespectful to all those people … and a misguided approach.”

She said the forum was established to give volunteer organisations direct access to the Minister, support and promote the value of volunteers, identify common training and needs.

But while former Emergency Services Minister James Merlino used to attend the forums, Dr Bendrups said Minister Symes had not.

Just why EMV Commissioner Crisp and the Minister have dumped the forum remains a mystery.

Minister Symes office simply stated “we want to build an easier and more inclusive way for volunteers to provide that feedback to government and agencies.

“We want to better support existing emergency volunteers and entice more people to take up a rewarding experience as a volunteer. Part of doing that is recognising that the volunteering landscape has changed and we need to accommodate for the different ways people want to volunteer their time, skills and resources.”

In a newsletter to CFA members Mr Barnett said EMV had grown from a small team of 12, established on July 1, 2014, into a bureaucracy of several hundred, with its own CEO, Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners and countless executive directors, public servants, consultants and advisers.

“Despite those resources, clearly they appear unable to support the peak volunteer forum that was given “enduring effect” under the EM Volunteer Statement,” he said.

“Volunteers are sick and tired of hearing leaders give speeches about how much they respect and value the contribution of CFA volunteers, to then not match these words with actions.”

“To demonstrate their priorities one need look no further than the announcement in last year’s State Budget of a record $36.2 million for the establishment of EMV’s new full-time State Control Centre workforce.

“This isn’t even a new capability. It simply replaces the current workforce contributed by each of the agencies through existing surge capacity. A surge capacity that is being undermined and neglected. The lack of any real action to address consecutive drops in endorsed level 3 incident personnel across the sector over recent years is a good example of just hoping for something to fail and then rushing in with a pre-formed solution.

“$36.2 million could have bought 80 brand new fire trucks.”