Funding promise in wake of blaze
Services Minister Felix Ellis has promised to review funding to firefighters in the wake of a fire at Rosebery that destroyed an accommodation lodge, threatened homes in several streets and forced the temporary closure of the town’s hospital.
On Wednesday, as the smoke cleared in the West Coast town, Mr Ellis said that with an increased frequency of emergency events, Tasmania needed to make sure its emergency services had the resources needed to keep people safe.
“The funding model that we currently have for our fire
and emergency services is not fit for purpose and we are going to reform this,” he said.
When asked to expand on that statement, Mr Ellis provided little detail but said he would soon deliver a contemporary new Fire Service Act –
something that has been in the wings for two years.
What the firefighters union wants though is for the Tasmania Fire Service to again be a standalone agency.
“The new Fire Service Act has been sitting in cabinet for a few months. It is good the government recognises the old model is archaic but Mr Ellis is not saying there will be extra funding, but just that there will be a new model,” United Firefighters Union of Australia Tasmania secretary Leigh Hills said.
Mr Hills said being part of a broader emergency services department was hindering the operational side of fire fighting.
He said the current Act
and funding model were 43 years old.
“Parliamentary committees and independent experts have examined this issue and have made the case for change, and that case is strong. Nearly every other state in Australia has moved to reform funding for emergency services,” he said.
“Our fire and emergency services are currently funded through a complex model, with varied sources including insurance levies, motor vehicles levies and fire service levies charged through council rates. The variability of this means that funding for these critical services is unpredictable and often unfair.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that our fire and emergency services are supported with the equipment and funding that they need.”
It comes as questions are asked over a lapse in the TFS text warning system during the fierce blaze in Rosebery on Tuesday.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he had been in contact with the owner of the Mount Black Lodge, which was destroyed.
“We are exploring options to provide recovery support and have arranged emergency accommodation for tourists. MMG has also been able to arrange alternative accommodation for their employees,” Mr Rockliff said.