QUICK FACTS
- Delivered the $763 million world-leading Tasmanian Government Radio Network
- Extra 115 full-time firefighters recruited in the past 10 years
- Additional permanent day fire crew for North-West
- Seven new heavy rescue vehicles, five medium response vehicles, 11 light rapid response vehicles and 12 tactical vehicles for the SES
- More field officers to support district officers around State
- Co-located purpose-built hubs at Kingston, Wynyard and Rosebery
- $115 million spent on nation-leading Fuel Reduction Program - 200,000 hectares of strategic burns, reducing relative bushfire risk by 25 per cent
- Online permit system to make it easier for farmers to burn and protect their properties
- Cadet program for young Tasmanians aged 12-17 to learn and train alongside our emergency services workers
- More funding for the Health and Wellbeing of fire fighters, SES workers, police and paramedics, recognising their challenging work on the frontline
Under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, a re-elected majority Liberal Government will:
- Employ an additional permanent firefighter day-crew on the North-West Coast.
- Upgrade the State Emergency Service’s vehicle fleet, taking total investment to $5 million.
- Recruit additional field officers to coordinate support and training to volunteers.
- Invest $28 million to develop Emergency Services Hubs in Kingston, Wynyard and Rosebery.
- Continue our $9 million a year Fuel Reduction Program, with an online permit system to make it easier for farmers and rural landowners to undertake fuel burns.
- Increase funding to $4 million a year for our Health and Wellbeing Program for frontline emergency services personnel, including firefighters.
- Trial a new Emergency Services Cadet Program for young Tasmanians.
An important part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future is to prioritise the essential services Tasmania needs, to help develop stronger communities, enhance our regions and keep our communities safer.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has delivered the $763 million Tasmanian Government Radio Network, bringing emergency services onto a world-leading emergency grade radio network.
We have also invested $17 million to upgrade dispatch systems for emergency responders, constructed a purpose-built $6.5 million Emergency Operations Centre, established a $900,000 multi-hazard team to operate from the new Centre, implemented a new State Air Desk to manage aerial operations and boosted Tasmania’s aerial fire-fighting fleet and capacity through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre.
Employ an additional permanent firefighter day-crew on the North West Coast
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will continue to support our regional firefighters and keep our communities safe.
We have recruited an additional 115 firefighters since coming to government in 2014, increasing career firefighter numbers by 16 per cent.We reinstated the State-wide firefighter recruitment program, axed by Labor and the Greens.
In 2023, the Tasmanian Liberal Government trialled a dedicated day crew for the North West based out of Devonport Station, and we conducted the first ever North-West Firefighter Recruitment course, with nine recruits graduating to Devonport and Burnie Fire Stations.
Our North-West is now served by two 24/7 fire stations, as well as many surrounding volunteer brigades.
We will bolster this by adding an additional permanent day crew and will consult on the best location for this crew.
This commitment will commence from 2025-26 when a full-time complement of staff can be recruited.
Upgrade the state Emergency Service’s vehicle fleet, taking total investment to $5 million
A re-elected Liberal Government will invest a further $3 million to upgrade the State Emergency Service's vehicle fleet, building on the $2 million already provided, taking total investment to $5 million.
This will support the procurement of seven heavy rescue vehicles, five medium response vehicles, 11 light rapid response vehicles and 12 tactical vehicles for our SES.
Planning for the staged rollout of the vehicle fleet upgrades will commence in the first 100 days.
The replacement program will see the fabrication of new vehicles to support road rescue, search and rescue, flood and storm response operations, and will be distributed across Tasmania.
Recruit additional field officers to coordinate support and training to volunteers across Tasmania
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will invest $1.5 million over three years to support the recruitment of additional field officers across Tasmania.
Our field officers are critical in the coordination of support and training to our fire and emergency services across Tasmania, and support our hard-working district officers. We are committed to commencing recruitment for these important roles in our first 100 days.
Construct a purpose-built Kingston Emergency Services Hub
Kingston is one of the State’s fastest growing communities and is chosen by Tasmanians as a great place to live, work and raise a family.
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will provide $15 million to support the safety of our growing southern region by constructing an Emergency Services Hub in Kingston to co-locate emergency services, including police, fire and emergency services, into one strategic contemporary facility, to keep the region safe.
This modern, well-equipped hub follows the successful development of the Sorell Emergency Hub by the Liberal Government, opened in 2023.
Establish a new Wynyard Emergency Services Hub
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will invest $10 million to deliver a Wynyard Emergency Services Hub in one of the busiest townships on the North-West Coast, to bring together our police, fire and emergency services in one strategic location.
This project will provide much needed upgrades to old TFS facilities, and move Tasmania Police and the State Emergency Service into a purpose built-facility.
Build a new Rosebery Emergency Services Hub
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will build a new contemporary and fit-for-purpose $3 million Emergency Services Hub for police, fire and emergency services workers in Rosebery, to replace outdated facilities for these frontline workers.
Continue investment in our Fuel Reduction Program
It took a Tasmanian Liberal Government to commence a nation-leading and tenure-blind Fuel Reduction Program, which through $115 million funding has completed 200,000 hectares of strategic burns, reducing Tasmania’s relative risk to bushfire by 25 per cent.
A re-elected Liberal Government will continue its $9 million a year investment into fuel reduction to keep Tasmanian communities safe.
As part of this commitment, we will also deliver an online permit system to make it easier for farmers and rural landowners to burn and protect their properties over the bushfire season.
Increase funding to $4 million a year for our Health and Wellbeing Program for frontline emergency services personnel, including firefighters
The Liberal Government launched Tasmania's first Health and Wellbeing Program in 2018 for frontline emergency services personnel - including police, fire service, emergency services and paramedics - in recognition of the challenging work these workers face every day, and the risks to their mental and physical health.
We also extended presumptive cancer legislation to include our Tasmanian Fire Service volunteers and those involved with our fuel reduction program in the Bushfire Risk Unit, increasing the scope to thousands more of our members, and expanded the list of cancers to include a further nine cancers including for the first time, female-specific reproduction cancers.
We have also introduced free PFAS blood testing for our fire and emergency services.
A re-elected majority Liberal will increase funding to $4 million a year to continue to deliver our Health and Wellbeing Program.
Trial a new Emergency Services Cadet Program
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will trial a new emergency services cadet program for young Tasmanians, over two years.
The program will provide hundreds of young people with a safe, fun and inclusive environment that offers them practical life skills and leadership opportunities through mentoring by our adult volunteer and career leaders across Tasmania Police, the Tasmanian Fire Service, the State Emergency Services and Ambulance Tasmania.
The program will provide young Tasmanians aged 12 to 17 with the ability to learn and train alongside our emergency services.
Net Cost: $6 million including $3 million for infrastructure.
Some policies costed elsewhere.