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Today we have once again witnessed Mr Morrison stall and offer no plan to financially help exhausted volunteer fire fighters.
Even his own senior ministers are finally voicing their concerns.
Enough.
We are talking about people’s livelihoods.
I have met people who are struggling to make ends meet while they work around the clock to serve their communities.
I have met people that have taken out loans to pay for the basic essentials of life.
It has now been well over a month since I wrote to the Prime Minister asking to work with him to act on this issue.
He dismissed me.
He has repeatedly refused to act on this issue when it has been raised with him.
He has said it was a “distraction.”
He has said it was a “state issue.”
He has said volunteer firefighters “want to be out there.”
Our firefighters have to pay bills and put food on the table for their families.
No firefighter should have to choose between continuing to serve their community with courage and distinction and being able to provide the essentials of life.
There is a precedent for providing support for volunteer firefighters.
This issue was urgent when Labor called on the Prime Minister to act in mid-November.  With fires raging across the country and predictions there’s worse to come it is now more urgent than ever.
Mr Morrison has consistently underestimated the scale of this year’s bushfire crisis and has repeatedly asserted that resources are adequate.
So far this bushfire season, the Prime Minister has:

1. Refused to meet with ex-fire chiefs, who wanted to warn him about the dangerous conditions we now face
2. Rejected concerns about fatigue among our volunteer firefighters, saying “they want to be there”.
3. Refused to provide any kind of compensation to exhausted volunteer fire fighters.
4. Said there will be no changes to climate change policy.
5. Ignored warnings from his own Department of Home Affairs that bushfires in Australia would be worse due to climate change and national action was required
6. Dismissed Labor’s suggestion to hold an urgent COAG meeting to ensure Australia was prepared for future bushfires and other natural disasters

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will increase its support to fire authorities, deploying additional specialist personnel to advise Incident Controllers at Fire Control Centres in New South Wales.
Planning will also begin for the recovery effort to access and clean-up affected areas, which could involve support from the ADF, if requested by NSW state authorities.
“This deployment will see Defence Liaison Officers positioned at all 14 Incident Control Centres in New South Wales with a list of equipment and support that can be made available. This will include bulldozers, bulk water carriers and troops,” the Prime Minister said.
“We’ll continue to do everything in our power to ensure our fireys have the resources and support they need.
“We’ve already got our Defence Forces providing helicopter search and rescue, ground transport, accommodation, meals and re-fuelling. We’ve boosted our support for water bombing planes and helicopters by $11 million.
“Disaster recovery payments of $23 million have also flowed to affected families and businesses with more to come.
“My Ministers and I remain in constant contact with our state and territory counterparts and fire chiefs and we stand ready to deliver whatever extra help they ask of us.”
Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon. Linda Reynolds CSC said enhancing its liaison network will enable the ADF to continue providing extensive support to State emergency services.
“These additional liaison staff will embed with Fire Control Centres across NSW to advise their NSW Rural Fire Service counterparts and help coordinate ADF logistical and engineering support,” Minister Reynolds said.
“All three services of the ADF continue to provide significant behind the scenes support to firefighting efforts across the nation, including aerial fire reconnaissance; helicopter search and rescue; logistical support such as ground transport; providing meals for exhausted firefighters; as well as basing, re-fuelling, water re-supply, loading fire retardant and air traffic management for firefighting aircraft.
“Navy helicopters have helped with evacuating residents from their homes, Army crews have provided assistance with clearing fire breaks, while our Air Force bases are supporting the state Large Aerial Tanker fleet.
“This behind the scenes support from the ADF frees up more of our firefighters to perform their specialised roles fighting the fires.”
Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, the Hon. David Littleproud MP offered his congratulations.
“This is another great example of how the bushfire response has been coordinated between all levels of Government,” Minister Littleproud said.
“They’ll be wearing two different uniforms but have one objective, protecting Australians and their property.”
The Federal Government stands ready to deploy whatever further assistance State and Territory authorities request to manage this disaster.
Details of ADF’s support to the firefighting effort is updated daily here: https://news.defence.gov.au/national/defence-continues-bushfire-support

Labor welcomes Scott Morrison’s decision to provide additional support for volunteer firefighters on the frontline – something he has repeatedly claimed is unnecessary.
It’s good that federal public servants will receive the same conditions currently enjoyed by Army reservists, but many volunteer firefighters will not be assisted by this decision.
Many private sector workers, self-employed workers, contractors and family business owners have been fighting fires, not just for days or weeks, but for months.
These firefighters have to pay bills and put food on the table for their families. No firefighter should have to choose between continuing to serve their community with courage and distinction and being able to provide the essentials of life.
There is a precedent for providing support for volunteer firefighters. The Keating Government did it in 1994.
Firefighters deserve our respect. They also deserve our support.
This issue was urgent when Labor called on the Prime Minister to act in mid-November.  With fires raging across the country it is now more urgent than ever.
Mr Morrison has consistently underestimated the scale of this year’s bushfire crisis and has repeatedly asserted that resources are adequate.
He has refused to bring forward a meeting of state and territory leaders. He has also refused to review his Government’s inadequate climate policies.
Clearly there is more to be done and we urge the Prime Minister to investigate all options as this national crisis deepens with more dangerous weeks ahead.

Government employees fighting this season’s devastating bushfires will have their paid volunteer leave allowance boosted.
The Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service said he had directed all Commonwealth public service leaders to permanently offer at least 20 working days paid leave, or 28 calendar days, for volunteers aiding with firefighting efforts. And for additional leave to then be provided as when needed.
“We’re helping get more boots on the ground and giving people who’ve been out there for weeks some relief,” the Prime Minister said.
“With bushfire seasons starting earlier, one of the things I’ve heard on the ground is that some people are dipping into their other leave entitlements to stay out there battling blazes. Today’s announcement is about ensuring our volunteer firefighters can keep focused on the job at hand.
“We’ve also already deployed our Defence Forces to assist with logistics, fire mapping and even meals and accommodation, already nearly $23 million in disaster recovery payments has flowed to affected families and businesses with more to come, and we’ve boosted our support for waterbombing planes and helicopters by $11 million.
“My Ministers and I are in constant contact with our state and territory counterparts and fire chiefs and we stand ready to deliver whatever extra help they ask of us.”
The change to volunteer leave entitlements for Commonwealth public servants brings those contracts into line with the arrangements offered for Australian Defence Force reservists.
“We’ll do everything in our power to ensure these fireys have the resources and support they need,” the Prime Minister said.
“Once again I’d also like to thank the many businesses – small and large – and the state and territory bureaucracies who have been so generous giving time off to our volunteer fireys.
“We call on other large employers to follow our lead and we commend those who have already put in place more generous volunteer leave arrangements. We know this does not address the situation for self-employed and small businesses directly, but it does mean those working for larger organisations can step in and take some of the load from those volunteers who work for themselves or small businesses.
“This comes on top of existing Commonwealth disaster relief support, both direct and through the states, supporting families, businesses and primary producers impacted by the fires.
“The current contracts for our Commonwealth employees have ad hoc volunteer leave entitlements but this direction brings that up to a consistent standard and one that we offer ADF reservists.
“Our brigades in metro areas are working right across the fire fronts in non-metro areas and this will give them greater capability to deploy and meet the demand and provide relief to some of those very tired firefighters.”