David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Volunteer firefighters embody so much of what is great about Australia. We have around 200,000 of them nationally who put themselves in harm's way every bushfire season. All firefighters are more susceptible to certain types of health issues than the general population, and this is well documented. Across the country, we do not make volunteer fireys prove this. We presume that injuries, including certain cancers, developed as part of the job. That's the case everywhere except for the ACT, due to a quirk in the Comcare legislation. This means volunteer firefighters in the ACT have to fight to prove any injuries were incurred on the job in order to access compensation or health care. The government can change this with a stroke of the pen, and it wouldn't cost a cent. The ACT government supports this and would have to pay any compensation.

I'd like to thank the team at ACT Volunteer Brigades Association for bringing this to my attention and for the advocacy that they are doing on behalf of volunteer fireys in the ACT. I have written to the minister about this, and I look forward to working with him to ensure this is done before the next bushfire season.