As Prime Minister Scott Morrison offers thoughts and prayers to those ravaged by severe bushfires across NSW, let’s not forget that his Liberal Party colleagues in the state government slashed tens of millions of dollars from state fire services just this year.
In the latest state budget, $12.9 million in expenses was cut from Fire & Rescue NSW, while the Office of NSW Rural Fire Services — a service run by volunteers — lost $26.7 million in expenses.
Byron Bay, which is currently being torn apart by fires, was also promised $5.85 million for a new fire station in Kingscliff. The funding has yet to arrive.
The cuts were all part of a larger $3.2 billion shake-up in the public sector, which saw thousands of jobs, bonuses and long-service leave entitlements lost.
Here are some of the ways state fire services could have spent those missing millions.
- The annual salary of 488 qualified firefighters, or 384 station officers
- Almost 70 new “Class 3 Pumper” trucks, heavy fire engines for both metro and regional areas which cost around $580,000 each
- 115 4WD fire trucks to reach fires in difficult terrain, worth $350,000 each
- Almost 50,000 fire-protective helmets at $818 each
- 123,100 flame resistant rescue coveralls at $329 each
- 10,739 gas exposure testing kits at $3,771 each
- The annual salary of 260 superintendents, or 241 chief superintendents.
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Ah, but a couple of billion dollars for a botched rebuilding of 2 stadiums? Yeah, no problem. Glad Bags really has her priorities all wrong.
Thank you Crikey for bringing this matter to the attention of the public. I read an item on line several days ago that told of these cuts, but no-one I talked with would believe me.
Could I add that the experts this morning are saying they need aircraft and helicopters to fight these unprecedented fires, but there is a shortage of WATER for them. Perhaps the government should compulsorily acquire the water in those dams up north of the Darling River…it is an emergency after all. Cubbie Station anyone????
Cubby dam is dry as a bone, just as the Darling River is.
It would not be too much of ask for the NSW Government to put down a couple of bores into the sub-artesian basin and dig a big deep hole and fill it, for next time.
Oh, sorry, what was that? Alan Jones wants the private members areas upgraded in the stadiums?
Forget the next drought? Scotty’s got a pray for that too?
Never forget, conservative sluts for money, pose, position, and notoriety are self focussed, often in a diseased, primitive way. They are and will remain our enemies, of decency, responsibility, generosity, basic intelligence. As they are so often pushy loudmouths, cunning networkers, insider devoted bumboy types, they strive for the rigged rails run of political representation, a lucrative career, “fame.” Shits…
Just wondering about this claim of lost LSL entitlements in the cuts.
Do you mean reneging on actual LSL accrued which I doubt is legal. Or do you mean a change to the accrual rate ? This may seem minor in the context of this article but could affect many long time employees by many thousands each.
Unbelievable, and all the vacuous PM can do it pray….