Media Releases

The Nationals member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty has joined the call of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Emergency Services Peter Ryan in urging western Victorians to be vigilant against fire in their homes this winter.

“The joint CFA and MFB Winter Fire Safety campaign is warning Victorians about the high fire safety risks this time of year when the likelihood of house fires can increase by up to 20 per cent.,” Mr Delahunty said.

“It is distressing that last winter across Victoria six people tragically lost their lives and there were 1,042 residential fires causing an estimated $20 million worth of damage.”

“Unattended cooking remained the single biggest cause of domestic fires throughout the year with more than one-third of residential fires started in the kitchen.”

Mr Delahunty said the number of fires in bedrooms, caused by heating equipment, also increases dramatically during the winter months, while blocked chimneys can also be a hazard.

The Winter Fire Safety campaign would use a combination of advertising and educational materials that focused on fire prevention in the home.

The CFA and MFB are asking everyone across the state to start their own winter safety campaign by being vigilant, planning ahead and checking that the smoke alarms in your house work; plan how you would get out of your house if there was a fire; and be aware of fire risks in the home.

“The CFA and MFB will be targeting key community groups including schools and maternal child health centres as well as vulnerable groups such as the elderly,” Mr Delahunty said.  

For more information visit www.homefiresafety.com.au

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty has welcomed the announcement in the State budget that six Country Fire Authority (CFA) stations in the Lowan electorate have been ear marked for replacement or an upgrade.

“A number of locations have been identified by the CFA as a priority project as part of the Coalition Government’s $22 million 2012-13 budget investment in upgrading or building new CFA stations across Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

“This important funding will ensure local CFA volunteers have the best facilities to help them do their great work in protecting local communities.

“Tarrayoukyan, Clear Lake, Streatham, and Broughton stations have been listed for a new station while an upgrade is scheduled for the Vectis and Linlithgow station,” Mr Delahunty said.

“A further $12.3 million has been allocated to fleet infrastructure upgrades across the state to help the CFA best deliver on a range of services it provides such as road rescue, hazardous materials response and structural collapse.”

“The funding will mean the CFA will be better resourced to enable a more effective and efficient fire fighting service, whilst providing enhanced safety for crews.”

 “This is great news for these communities and continues the focus the Coalition Government has in ensuring our rural and regional communities are appropriately catered for,” he said.
Mr Delahunty said the 2012-13 budget is the most responsible delivered in Victoria for more than a decade and it has been developed having to deal with the $1 billion deficit inherited from the former Labor Government, massive project cost overruns through Labor’s mismanagement and major reductions in revenue sources in the form of GST cuts and the reduction of land transfer stamp duty income.

“These CFA upgrades recognise needs identified at the local level and further the commitment of the Coalition Government to ensure our communities remain safe and secure,” Mr Delahunty said.

The Nationals member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty welcomed the announcement that western Victoria will receive 12 out of 45 new 'burn mix' trailers to be built and distributed by the Victorian Coalition Government for use in planned burning operations across Victoria.

"Western Victoria has suffered many bushfires over the past and the allocation of the "burn mix" trailers will go a long way to making the region fire safe," Mr Delahunty said. 

'Burn mix' trailers are critical to the planned burning process with each trailer consisting of 10 drip torches, two x 200 litre drums, jerry cans, a spill kit, toolbox, bonding cable and a hand pump allowing crews to decant and mix the diesel petrol solution used in planned burning.

The drip torch is the main tool used for the safe lighting of large areas in the planned burning process – it allows the operator to manage directly how much bush is lit depending on the conditions.

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith said that the new trailers are worth more than $500,000 and will provide additional assistance to the Victorian Government's planned burns program.

"The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to implementing the 67 recommendations of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, including increasing planned burning across the state. 

"In 2010-11 more than 188,000ha of planned burning was completed. This is the largest program completed in more than 20 years. These new trailers will assist us with the planned burns program," Mr Smith said. 

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has already built 15 of the new units and they are now ready for use in planned burning operations across Victoria.

It is anticipated that all 45 'burn mix' trailers will be finished, delivered and ready for use by the end of October.

The Victorian Coalition Government's planned burn program helps protect life, property and the environment by reducing fuel levels and maintaining the health of plants and animals.

For more information about upcoming burns and the planned burns program, please visit www.dse.vic.gov.au

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty has welcomed the release of the Green Paper “Towards A More Disaster Resilient and Safer Victoria” which will provide the state’s emergency services, volunteers and communities the opportunity to have their say as the Victorian Coalition Government initiates major reform to Victoria’s crisis and emergency management arrangements.

 “The Green Paper marks the start of a two month consultation process that seeks innovative ideas and feedback to improve the way Victoria responded to emergencies,” Mr Delahunty said.

“While we have one of the best emergency services in the world, the Green Paper offers the opportunity for all of us to consider new ways to ensure we are equipped to deal with the increased risks of fire, flood and other natural disasters,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The Green Paper will challenge current thinking about Victoria’s crisis and emergency management arrangements and pose proactive questions about the practical options for reform.

“We want to get the structures, response and laws right and the Green Paper will help develop options that will improve support for the thousands of volunteers and staff in our emergency services organisations who sacrifice so much to protect our communities.”

Mr Delahunty said the Green Paper process would also take into account the valuable lessons and recommendations from the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission and the current Flood Review. 

“The Green Paper consultation process will seek input from experts, those at the coal face and from Victorians to get a range of views of this important reform program,” Mr Delahunty said.

“Victoria’s resilience has been tested in recent years, with extreme events proving too big for any one emergency services agency to manage alone.  Western Victoria unfortunately has endured many significant emergency events such as floods and fire over the past few years.

“The Coalition Government and every person involved in emergency management wants to ensure Victoria has a world’s best practice emergency management framework for now and into the future.” Mr Delahunty said.

The Green Paper can be accessed at www.dpc.vic.gov.au and submissions can be made until 14 November.

 The Branxholme Fire Brigade’s 55 volunteers are better equipped to protect their community against the threat of fire with the opening a new $400,000 fire station today.

Representing Deputy Premier and Minister for Emergency Services Peter Ryan, Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said the 72-year-old Branxholme Fire Brigade would now be better equipped to enable its members to protect the community during a fire event.

“The Branxholme Fire Brigade not only serves its own township but has been called upon during many of Victoria’s major fire events, including during the 2009 Black Saturday fires where its members bravely answered calls for help from nearby Coleraine,” Mr Delahunty said.

“Despite tackling some of Victoria’s worst fires, Branxholme members were working out of an outdated shed which originally built in the 1950s before a further upgrade in 1993.”

Mr Delahunty said this new station was constructed using local builders and contractors.

“The station will provide the 55 members of the Branxholme Fire Brigade, lead by Captain Geoffrey McErvale, with modern and up-to-date facilities, including a Divisional Command Centre which will give CFA District 5 more effective fire and incident management control capabilities into the future.”

“It will also feature a meeting and communications room and rainwater tanks for domestic water use and to clean the appliances following use at incidents.”

Mr Ryan said the Branxholme station upgrade was funded via the CFA capital works program.

“This new facility will provide an enormous boost to community spirit and help build community confidence,” Mr Ryan said.

“The essential service that the CFA provide goes above and beyond fighting fires. Brigades also have a critical role in bringing people together and fostering community networks. 

“It is especially important for rural townships to have venues such as this, where the entire community can congregate, is especially important.”

Mr Ryan said the Coalition Government is committed to supporting the states 59,000 CFA volunteers, recently investing $65.8 million to build 60 new or upgraded CFA stations and rolling out 101 new fire fighting vehicles within the next 12 months, while the government had recently passed legislation which enshrined the rights and needs of CFA Volunteers.

“The CFA is one of the world’s largest volunteer-based emergency service organisations, and every one of these volunteers makes a significant contribution to the wellbeing and safety of Victorians so it is pleasing that we can provide this support,” Mr Ryan said.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said the Brumby Government has delivered a poor deal to the state’s 58,000 volunteer fire-fighters.

“The decision by the government and the Country Fire Authority leadership to conduct and finalise EBA negotiations based on discussions with the Fire Fighters Union but by-passing the volunteers was now causing major unrest,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The Government is party to a CFA Volunteers Charter signed by all parties, but it has chosen to ignore these obligations in order to deal directly with the union. It is a slap in the face for volunteers, who are such a vital part of the state’s fire-fighting system,” he said.

The new deal would affect volunteers in a number of ways, and they should have been involved in all stages of the discussions.

“I understand that the new deal over-rides the CFA chief officer’s decision making powers and excludes CFA volunteers from having an effective say over matters that directly affect their brigades and the local communities.

“It also determines and limits how training will be managed by the CFA, it dictates how paid support can be provided to volunteer brigades regardless of need and it blocks volunteers from being employed in roles that they are qualified to do,” Mr Delahunty said.

He said the new deal covered paid CFA staff, who represent one per cent of the total CFA workforce, and excludes the rights of 58 000 volunteers.

“I am very concerned that these actions will have an adverse effect on both the working conditions and morale of the volunteers in western Victoria, who bravely confront fires threatening communities.

“Quite obviously the Brumby Government wanted to lock away this poor deal with its union mates prior to the coming November election, and it was prepared to abandon the volunteer fire-fighters to get that result. Volunteers are angry about this, and they have every right to be,” Mr Delahunty said.