Statements
Firefighters—Working conditions
Statement
Hon Tim Clifford (5:19 pm): I rise today to speak in support of the United Professional Firefighters Union and the campaign for a fair deal for firies. Firefighters protect us all, every day and every night, sometimes under the toughest imaginable conditions. Firefighters experience workplace hazards that other people do not. The kinds of conditions that make a place unsafe are precisely the kind of conditions that define a firefighter's workplace. They enter when we escape. In 2025, we are asking more of our firefighters than we ever have before. The energy transition has a thousand benefits, but it means that emergency workers have to deal with a different kind of fire when things go wrong. Lithium batteries produce dangerous fires and hydrogen is immensely explosive. Of course, the energy transition is made necessary by climate change, and climate change heaps more burdens on our firefighters. There is the obvious problem of increased fire risk, and we have to add to that the increased risk of floods and other natural disasters as well. The state and federal governments have decided that we now have to deal with nuclear materials, and the firies will have to step in when things go wrong.
Despite their sacrifice and professionalism, firefighters remain some of the most underpaid, under-resourced and undervalued government workers that we have. When I came back to this place after a four-year break, I promised to spend political capital on what matters and to listen to working people. I think the current moment demands that we speak up in order to meet that promise. Firefighters do their job with professionalism and courage. This state owes them a lot, and I ask the members of this house for their support to secure the fair pay, safe conditions and modern structures the community would expect for them. I have advocated publicly, and now in this chamber, for timely, good-faith bargaining. I am afraid that this appears to be missing in the case of the firies. Unlike other workforces, firefighters do not strike—they cannot, really, for obvious reasons. They are an essential service. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services' decommissioning of fire trucks is already occurring, and this is affecting the safety of the community. This is happening because the government continues to delay the provision of funding to correct underpayments and wage deficiencies, which I will talk about briefly here.
The union has put forward minimum principles for 2025's enterprise bargaining agreement. First is the back pay of overtime. We are not sure why it has happened, but $2.5 million in overtime is owed since 9 June 2023. This should not become a bargaining item. This is what firies deserve. Second is a remuneration adjustment. There needs to be a $2-an-hour adjustment for senior firefighters to correct a base wage deficiency. Third is a government-funded work value review. There is a need for an independent government-funded review with outcomes implemented within 12 months. This has been a part of existing agreements for at least the past five years. Parity with the Community and Public Sector Union–Civil Service Association of WA agreement on key allowances is particularly important for on-call availability allowances, in which firefighters are paid almost 50% less than their colleagues in the same department. This has been an issue for over 10 years. There must be a review of the operational support allowance for call-back and hold-back mobile phone use, safe personal protective clothing return, tiered deployment and specialist roles to bring Western Australia in line with other states. There needs to be classification reform. Western Australia needs funding for leading firefighter and station officer class 3 positions to modernise structures, support progression and improve retention. It is not hard to understand why this is so important. Firefighters do not fit neatly into the general public sector model, which might explain some of the disparity we are seeing today. The work is dangerous, involving long hours and unique risks that no other workplaces carry, including the exposure to cancer-causing agents, post-traumatic stress disorder and the ever-increasing workload created by climate change. A one-size-fits-all wages policy does not work with firefighters. They are so far behind where they should be compared with other government agencies for a service in which lives are at stake every day. There are only 1,200 career fire and rescue service members doing shift work 24/7. At any time, more than 300 firefighters are on duty or on call protecting communities across WA.
At a time when the changing climate, emergency risks and increasing levels of responsibility combine with the cost-of-living crisis to create significantly more difficult work environments, the government has to front up and cough up the money. My colleagues and I have been visiting fire stations to meet crews, hear their stories and find out their capability needs. The Greens will always look for ways to engage with real consultation and support consultation mechanisms such as operational changes in government agencies that are informed by people at the coalface and the people on shifts. The Western Australian Government as a whole needs to do more of this kind of work but, for now, firefighters are fighting for fairness, safety and the future of WA's emergency services. We need this Parliament to do the same.
