VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS – VICTORIA

CFA launched bid to shut down trial

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 13-Oct-16

Victoria’s Country Fire Authority wants to halt a case in the Supreme Court. The case was launched by the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, which argued that the CFA’s proposed enterprise agreement with the United Firefighters Union had a number of deficiencies. The CFA says the passage of the Federal Government’s CFA legislation makes the case irrelevant.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA

Union leader denies threats of violence

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Original article by Patrick Durkin, Aaron Patrick, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Sep-16

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews triggered a political crisis when he decided to give the union more influence over the Country Fire Authority. The Volunteer Firefighters Association Victoria took the matter to the Supreme Court. Jane Garrett resigned as Emergency Services Minister in June 2016 as she did not agree with Andrews’ tactics. She was allegedly bullied by United Firefighters Union leader Peter Marshall who was reported as telling Garrett "I am coming to get you" and "you’re all f—ing dead".

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION VICTORIA, VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMISSION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Questions over IR judge’s role in CFA row

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 8-Aug-16

The role of Fair Work Commission president Iain Ross in the Victorian Country Fire Authority dispute is under scrutiny. Former CFA board member and farmer Michael Freshwater has questioned whether Ross acted impartially in the dispute over an enterprise bargaining agreement. He has written to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash requesting an independent inquiry. There have been suggestions that despite being a state issue, the CFA dispute may have affected Labor’s chances of winning the federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, EAST GIPPSLAND LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE, EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE COUNCIL, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE AND REGULATION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Flame out: Labor Left union brawl cost Shorten the election

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 36 : 5-Aug-16

The Australian Labor Party lost one Victorian seat in the 2016 federal election, although it had expected to win at least two. Party insiders downplay the impact that the Country Fire Authority dispute had on Labor’s federal election prospects, although Veterans’ Affairs Minister Dan Tehan says the dispute ensured that the Coalition was returned to office with a one-seat majority rather than the election resulting in a hung parliament. United Firefighters’ Union secretary Peter Marshall does not believe that the CFA dispute had any impact on the election result.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE METROPOLITAN FIRE BRIGADE, VICTORIAN BUILDING INDUSTRY DISPUTES PANEL, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

CFA bosses all aboard

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Original article by Matt Johnston
Herald Sun – Page: 13 : 20-Jul-16

The Victorian Government will be able to press ahead with plans to impose a contentious enterprise bargaining agreement on the Country Fire Authority, after confirming the last four appointments to its board. The Government had sacked the previous board due to its opposition to the EBA, amid concerns that it represented a takeover of the CFA by the United Firefighters’ Union. The last four appointees are CFA nominees, although the Government’s nominees dominate the new board.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALASIAN FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES AUTHORITIES COUNCIL LIMITED

Burn the votes

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Original article by Ellen Whinnett, Rob Harris, Annika Smethurst
Herald Sun – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Jul-16

There is concern within the Australian Labor Party that the dispute over union control of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority may cost it the federal election. Labor must win 21 seats nationwide in order to win the election, but it now seems unlikely to win the Victorian marginal seats of Dunkley and Corangamite due to the CFA dispute. Some federal Labor MPs have criticised the handling of the dispute by Premier Daniel Andrews, with federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also expressing dissatisfaction with the state government’s actions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE AND REGULATION, GALAXY RESEARCH PTY LTD

Turnbull vows new laws to protect CFA volunteers

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Original article by Matthew Knott, Richard Willingham, Nicole Hasham
The Age – Page: 6 : 24-Jun-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited the seat of Corangamite in Victoria on 23 June 2016, where he said that amending the Fair Work Act to protect volunteer firefighters will be a priority for the Coalition if it is re-elected. Turnbull praised the Country Fire Authority, which is the subject of a power grab by the United Firefighters Union. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten reiterated that the CFA dispute is a state issue, and suggested that Turnbull has only intervened due to the federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

CFA deal pushed back until after poll result

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 23-Jun-16

The board of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority (CFA) has decided to delay the implementation of the United Firefighters Union’s enterprise agreement until 8 July 2016. The State Government insists that the CFA board must accept the agreement. Volunteer firefighters have raised objections to a number of provisions in the agreement. Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the Coalition will prevent the implementation of the deal if it is re-elected.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Vic Premier slams PM over firefighters

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Jun-16

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has criticised Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for politicising the dispute over a proposed enterprise bargaining agreement for the Country Fire Authority. Turnbull has promised to introduce changes to the Fair Work Act in response to the dispute, but Andrews has questioned whether he is fully informed of the Fair Work Commission’s recommendations concerning the EBA. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out any intervention, stressing that it is a state issue.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, VICTORIA. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

CFA fury as union wins demands

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Original article by Rick Wallace
The Australian – Page: 4 : 3-Jun-16

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has described the Fair Work Commission’s recommendations on unionisation of the Country Fire Authority as "fair and balanced". However, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy says the recommendations are biased, adding that Andrews should support the state’s volunteer firefighters in their stance against the United Firefighters’ Union’s enterprise bargaining agreement. It is estimated that only 1,000 of the CFA’s 60,000-plus members are also members of the UFU.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, MELBOURNE METROPOLITAN FIRE BRIGADE