THE Country Fire Authority crisis encroachment into the Indi battleground has taken another twist with reports of a United Firefighters Union presence at the Mansfield pre-poll centre on Saturday.
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Indi Labor candidate Eric Kerr denied reports UFU personnel were handing out how-to-vote cards for him at Mansfield, but had met a supportive UFU member in the town late last week.
Mr Kerr had described Liberal Party candidate Sophie Mirabella’s use of the CFA crisis in the election campaign as “disgusting”.
“I’ve spoken to our Mansfield booth co-ordinator and to their knowledge we didn’t have anyone handing out for us who was a UFU member,” he said.
“Sophie has probably heard something and is getting on her little, high horse about it.”
Mrs Mirabella is refusing to back away from her support of CFA volunteers and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s intention to end the dispute at the Fair Work Commission if re-elected on Saturday.
“The only person who can do something is Malcolm Turnbull,” she said.
“But he has to be in government and only a vote for the Coalition is a vote to save the CFA.”
The UFU was unable to confirm there were UFU members at Mansfield on Saturday, but UFU secretary Peter Marshall issued a statement on the CFA dispute’s link to the election.
"Victorians need career and volunteer firefighters working together to protect the community and not being cynically divided to serve the Liberals' political agenda,” he said.
"The Liberal Party is blatantly orchestrating CFA volunteers to turn out at polling booths, exploiting community volunteers for political purposes.
"Career and volunteer firefighters choose to do this work because they are driven to serve their communities.
“The Liberal Party must stop trying to divide us and start putting the needs of the community ahead of its own political agenda."
CFA Wodonga paid firefighter David Brown said there were no plans for a UFU presence at the Wodonga pre-poll centre and was upset the dispute was being politicised.
“We cannot do the job in Wodonga without volunteers and the volunteers can’t do their role without us in the town,” he said.
“It’s a partnership and it’s extremely disappointing to be used as political pawns on both sides.
“Yes, I am a member of the union, but I’m also a volunteer at Wodonga West.”
Mr Brown said UFU stickers had been removed from trucks in recent times as an act of goodwill.
