Thousands of Queensland emergency service volunteers can no longer trust the State Labor Government.
The passing of legislation following a truncated debate in Parliament proves volunteers in key emergency services have been grossly disrespected by the Government.
The legislation will see a renamed Queensland Fire Department take control of local brigades through the Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) from July 1.
Local brigades will no longer be unincorporated associations and will instead fall under the umbrella of the newly formed RFSQ.
The legislation, rammed through Parliament by the Government, denied LNP and Cross Bench Members the opportunity to speak on behalf of volunteers in their electorates when debate was arrogantly shut down.
Promises made by Ministers have been broken and volunteers have described the consultation process as a con job.
Rural firefighters were given just seven days to comment on legislation that could potentially see them brought before the Supreme Court.
They are dismayed and feel betrayed by this radical overhaul of Queensland’s disaster and emergency management framework.
The Government had more than five years to consult and listen but simply ignored the wishes of volunteers, even failing to provide them with the basic information they requested in good faith.