Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to support the motion put forward by the member for Grayndler to acknowledge and support the Australian rescue and firefighting teams around the nation. Situated in the middle of the Hindmarsh electorate, over at the Adelaide airport, is one of the largest employers of people in the state of South Australia. We see the wonderful, professional staff who keep things safe and running and get us on flights to our destinations on time: the air traffic controllers, the baggage handlers, the security staff, the AFP, Borderforce, the check-in staff, the cleaners, the Qantas employees, the Virgin staff and the Jetstar staff, who are all good Australian Services Union members. The guys we hope not to see but are there in case of emergency are the hardworking men and women who sometimes work in dangerous situations: the Australian rescue firefighters. The ARFF service 26 of the busiest airports in Australia. In 2014, they responded to 6,700 aircraft and airport emergency assistance requests. This included spills, aircraft emergencies and even turnbacks and perimeter security issues. That equates to around 18 issues each and every day around the country.

Some of the callouts are more severe than others, of course, but how many times do we hear about these dedicated individuals in the press or on TV? We don't hear much about them—maybe a few times a year, if we're lucky. These guys do not rest. If there's an emergency on Christmas morning, who do you think is out there? They are. If there's a wheel that won't deploy, forcing a turnback in the middle of the night, it's those wonderful firefighters who do the rescue. Who will be there? They will be there. If there's a fuel spill from a refilling plane at 5 in the morning, they will be there. Adelaide Airport is a category 9 airport. Categories dictate the required amount of water and foam that is needed to be carried, the response times, the water discharges, the rates and the number of personnel. The categories range from six to 10.

The motion that the member for Grayndler has moved calls on the government to reject any proposals to increase the threshold provision for firefighter services at airports from the existing 350,000 passenger movements annually, noting that this would preclude the establishment of these services at many regional airports. In South Australia, for example, is Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier, Whyalla and even the growing airport of Kangaroo Island. They service many tourists going to tourist destinations. As we heard the member for Richmond say, we want our tourists to feel safe when they're taking off and landing at airports. That's why this is so important. Why should big cities be safer while our regional areas suffer? All regional MPs in the south should strongly support the motion put forward by the member for Grayndler.

Why am I speaking on the importance of firefighters? It's because of Adelaide Airport. I want to remind the government of a particular question in writing that I submitted last year regarding PFOS and PFOA, which have been used by airport firefighters around Australia—in fact, around the world—for many years. These chemicals have been banned worldwide. We know that wonderful workers have been suffering the effects of being exposed to these chemicals for many years, including at Adelaide Airport. I put a question on notice but have yet to receive an answer back from the minister. These chemicals have been proven to have harmed the environment—that's why they've been banned—and they are potentially harmful to workers. Many firefighters were exposed to these chemicals. I have been meeting with them in my electorate for a number of months, trying to ensure that they get some medical checks—that they get their blood tested on a regular basis to see the level at which the chemicals are flowing through their bodies. The workers have been exposed to chemicals through no fault of their own and we should stand up for them. The firefighters keep us safe when we fly and ensure that, if there is an emergency, they're the first ones there. It's no coincidence that I haven't received a letter back— (Time expired)

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