Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Cameron for this series of questions. In the first instance, in addressing the claims made by Senator Cameron that the enterprise agreement is only in relation to the employees or the terms and conditions of employment for those employees to whom it applies: Senator Cameron, that is what this whole dispute is actually about. You would be well aware that an enterprise agreement, which is an agreement that is made under the Fair Work Act, provides or should provide the terms and conditions of employment for those employees to whom it applies. The issue that has been confronting the volunteers in the CFA for some time now is that what is proposed by this enterprise agreement is that it is actually going to expand the reach of the agreement into volunteer arrangements, certainly beyond what is contemplated by the Fair Work Act.

I have articulated a number of the concerns that the volunteers have in relation to the agreement. In relation to the necessary minimum staffing levels at clause 44, the volunteers have raised concerns about this clause, which prevents cross-crewing of fire trucks by volunteers and paid firefighters unless agreed with the union, and, further than that, about clause 44.14, which requires four professional career firefighters on all appliances. If you go back to what we were discussing prior to—