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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 565 asked in the Legislative Council on 16 June 2022 by Hon Nick Goiran

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES — MANDATORY VACCINATION

565. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the Minister for Emergency Services:

I ask a question on behalf of Hon Martin Aldridge, who is away from the house on urgent parliamentary business. The Minister for Emergency Services is also away on urgent parliamentary business.

I refer to the mandatory vaccination requirements for fire and emergency services workers, including volunteers, being no longer in force from Friday, 10 June 2022.

(1) How many workers, including volunteers, were stood down, terminated or subject to disciplinary proceedings or similar arising from the directions?

(2) How will the Department of Fire and Emergency Services re-engage those identified in (1), in particular, volunteers who may no longer have access to the DFES portal and therefore DFES circulars about the policy change?

(3) Will volunteers who were excluded, arising from the public health directions, be immediately reinstated to their brigade, group or unit and their role in which they previously served if they so desire?

(4) If no to (3), why not?

Hon KYLE McGINN replied:

I thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided by the Minister for Emergency Services.

(1) As of 15 June 2022, no DFES employees have been stood down. DFES employees were advised they were not to present for duty. Nineteen DFES employees are subject to disciplinary processes. No DFES employees were dismissed due to non-adherence to the directions. No DFES volunteers were stood down or are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

(2) DFES employees are currently being contacted to arrange their return. DFES volunteers who were on leave of absence were not excluded from accessing any system information they would ordinarily have access to through the DFES volunteer hub, which includes DFES circulars and regular updates.

(3) Yes.

(4) Not applicable.