❓ Mr. Redman questions the Minister for Emergency Services about a code of conduct allegedly forbidding volunteers from communicating with MPs. The Minister denies a 'gag order,' stating the code aims to prevent interference and maintain operational integrity.
AnsweredQoN 466Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF FIRE AND
EMERGENCY SERVICES VOLUNTEERS —CODE OF CONDUCT — COMMUNICATION
WITH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
466. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I
refer to the mandatory online code of conduct training for all Department of
Fire and Emergency Services volunteers that commenced this week.
(1) Is the minister aware that this code of conduct
forbids emergency services volunteers from communicating with state and
federal members of Parliament regarding emergency services matters?
(2) What does the minister intend to do about the gag
order on the volunteer fire and rescue service, the State Emergency Service, the Volunteer Marine Rescue
WA and bush fire services under the control of DFES?
EMERGENCY SERVICES VOLUNTEERS —CODE OF CONDUCT — COMMUNICATION
WITH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
466. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I
refer to the mandatory online code of conduct training for all Department of
Fire and Emergency Services volunteers that commenced this week.
(1) Is the minister aware that this code of conduct
forbids emergency services volunteers from communicating with state and
federal members of Parliament regarding emergency services matters?
(2) What does the minister intend to do about the gag
order on the volunteer fire and rescue service, the State Emergency Service, the Volunteer Marine Rescue
WA and bush fire services under the control of DFES?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for that
question.
(1)–(2) I think we have
been down this path before—remember?
Mr D.T. Redman : No, we haven't.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Yes, we have.
Oh, yes we have. I remember answering a question from the Nationals WA about a visit
by one of its members to Marine Rescue Port Hedland. Remember? Just turning up,
unannounced—he wanted to go and see everybody. He was an upper house
member from the Agricultural Region, remember? He just turned up, unannounced,
because there was a National Party meeting up there in Port Hedland and he
thought it was a good idea to just drop in and go and see the volunteers, and I
denied that request.
I will go through the groups of
volunteers that are covered by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services: they are the volunteer fire and rescue service,
the State Emergency Service, the volunteer fire and emergency services and, of course, the Volunteer Marine Rescue
Services. When it comes to anybody, whether politicians or not, going along and talking to bush fire brigade volunteers who are covered by local
government, that has nothing to do with me.
If the member wants to go along and talk to them and have his picture taken
before the election, he can go along and do that—if they want to
talk to him. He can go along and do that, but if they are funded out of
taxpayers' funds and through the emergency services levy —
Mr D.T. Redman : Then you put
a gag order on them.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : No, there is a code of conduct. Just
like you cannot walk into any government agency and get your photograph taken
with public servants, nor should you be able to do that with people who are
part of the state apparatus. Even though they are volunteers, they are still
part of the state apparatus, and the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner
himself would like to know. That is the reason it is there. Those volunteers
come directly under him in all their
actions, in all their legal coverage, and in terms of their discipline, and
they do not want people like you or any other MP going in without notice
and interfering with what those volunteers do. There is no problem at all with
you contacting my office and seeking approval, and then going along; there is
no problem with doing that. That, my friend, is no different from what it was
like when you were in government; no different at all.
Mr D.T. Redman : I have a supplementary,
Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, you asked about six questions there; I thought they
were your supplementaries!
question.
(1)–(2) I think we have
been down this path before—remember?
Mr D.T. Redman : No, we haven't.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Yes, we have.
Oh, yes we have. I remember answering a question from the Nationals WA about a visit
by one of its members to Marine Rescue Port Hedland. Remember? Just turning up,
unannounced—he wanted to go and see everybody. He was an upper house
member from the Agricultural Region, remember? He just turned up, unannounced,
because there was a National Party meeting up there in Port Hedland and he
thought it was a good idea to just drop in and go and see the volunteers, and I
denied that request.
I will go through the groups of
volunteers that are covered by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services: they are the volunteer fire and rescue service,
the State Emergency Service, the volunteer fire and emergency services and, of course, the Volunteer Marine Rescue
Services. When it comes to anybody, whether politicians or not, going along and talking to bush fire brigade volunteers who are covered by local
government, that has nothing to do with me.
If the member wants to go along and talk to them and have his picture taken
before the election, he can go along and do that—if they want to
talk to him. He can go along and do that, but if they are funded out of
taxpayers' funds and through the emergency services levy —
Mr D.T. Redman : Then you put
a gag order on them.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : No, there is a code of conduct. Just
like you cannot walk into any government agency and get your photograph taken
with public servants, nor should you be able to do that with people who are
part of the state apparatus. Even though they are volunteers, they are still
part of the state apparatus, and the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner
himself would like to know. That is the reason it is there. Those volunteers
come directly under him in all their
actions, in all their legal coverage, and in terms of their discipline, and
they do not want people like you or any other MP going in without notice
and interfering with what those volunteers do. There is no problem at all with
you contacting my office and seeking approval, and then going along; there is
no problem with doing that. That, my friend, is no different from what it was
like when you were in government; no different at all.
Mr D.T. Redman : I have a supplementary,
Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, you asked about six questions there; I thought they
were your supplementaries!
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