The Andrews Labor Government will protect the health and safety of Victorian firefighters by acting on all recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry into the CFA Training College at Fiskville.
The response to the Inquiry was tabled in the Victorian Parliament today, with the Labor Government giving support in full, principle or part to all 31 recommendations.
The Government acted quickly to close Fiskville in March last year because the site posed a health and safety risk to firefighters.
Since then, the Government has been working to ensure firefighters have a safe environment to work and train, and has already begun implementing the recommendations.
As part of the Victorian Budget 2016/17, we announced a $46.2 million investment to establish a new firefighting training centre in the Central Highlands and upgrade the training facility at Huntly.
An additional $80.7 million over four years will be provided to decommission and remediate the Fiskville site, and conduct environmental audits and upgrades at six other emergency management training centres across the state.
The Government will also investigate options for a redress scheme to make sure those who suffered harm as a result of their time at Fiskville receive the support they deserve.
We’re taking action to improve accountability of departments and agencies responsible for the occupational health and safety of Victoria’s firefighters, and has asked the Inspector General of Emergency Management to monitor the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Inquiry.
The Inspector-General of Emergency Management will report back to the Government within 18 months of the implementation commencing.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino
“The Fiskville Inquiry has been difficult for all involved and I sincerely thank the firefighters, their families and the community for sharing their stories.”
“We put people first when we acted quickly to close Fiskville, and we’re already acting on the recommendations of the Inquiry to make sure our firefighters are safe at work.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020