Benambra MP Bill Tilley has slammed the Victorian Government’s decision to cave-in to union demands and give CFA career firefighters a 19 per cent increase on all existing allowances.
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Mr Tilley said a divide-and-conquer mentality had emerged in recent years between the United Firefighters Union and the CFA that needed to be resolved as they relied on each other.
“Career firefighters certainly deserve a fair and equitable salary absolutely, I do not deny that for a second,” he said.
“But plenty of North East stations are waiting for better tankers, better pumpers, upgrades to uniform and training facilities. That’s where they should be concentrating their effort.”
Career firefighters will also receive a $3000 bonus, relocation costs and an annual $125 sport allowance following a decision by the Fair Work Commission on Friday.
The perks have been included in the union's current 2010 agreement while a long-running dispute over a new agreement continues.
The federal government has intervened in the dispute by introducing new legislation which aims to protect the role of volunteers.
The controversial new CFA deal has been criticised for sidelining volunteers, with Premier Daniel Andrews accused of caving in to the demands of a militant union.
Victorian Farmers Federation Wangaratta branch president Greg Mirabella, who is also a CFA volunteer, questioned whether any overall increase in expenditure on salaries was best value for money.
Mr Mirabella said that the vast majority of large scale bushfire fighting in the North East was carried out by volunteers, whereas the role of paid firefighters in manned stations was more that of urban firefighters and first responders.
“Any increase in salaries, or the number of paid firefighters obviously costs a lot of money, and it certainly raises the question of what is the best use of that money in improving CFA’s capability,” he said.
“As a farmer, and volunteer who has fought bushfires in rural Victoria, I have to say no.
“The CFA is lagging years behind in acquiring modern sensor and communications technology – volunteers use their own GPS and smartphones in the trucks. What would make a big difference to a local rural fire truck would be spending money on modern equipment, and most critically, the ability for real-time digital command and control information.”
