Updated 11 March 2016 - Here's a list of Victorian MPs who have signed the pledge to support firefighters with cancer and vote for non-discriminatory presumptive legislation for all Victorian firefighters.

Members of Parliament - If you've signed but are not listed here, or if you would like to sign the pledge, contact VFBV on (03) 9886 1141.

Volunteers - If your local MPs have not yet signed the pledge, see our Presumptive Legislation page to download a copy and see more information on the firefighters' cancer issue.

 Return to the Presumptive Legislation page

UPDATED 25 OCTOBER 2014: Liberal MP Neale Burgess' statement to the Victorian Parliament after tabling part of the CFA Volunteers' Cancer Petition, which calls on the Government to fix problems with the existing firefighters’ cancer compensation process.

Mr BURGESS (Hastings) -- Earlier this week I tabled a petition that represented half of a petition with a total of more than 60 000 signatures. The petitioners are seeking simpler cancer compensation arrangements for Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteer firefighters and their career colleagues.

Victorian firefighters, both paid and volunteer, are a very special breed of people; they are people who choose to put their lives at risk to keep ours safe. We are particularly fortunate in Victoria because, while we have some of the most dangerous fire conditions in the world, we also have some of the very best firefighters in the world.

The issue is one confronting all firefighters, paid and volunteer alike.

In Victoria, paid and volunteer firefighters work side by side, attend the same incidents, face the same risks and are exposed to the same toxins. Technically, all Victorian firefighters are already entitled to compensation for work-related cancer, but the current onus of proof arrangements require the firefighter to provide sufficient evidence to prove that the cancer arose from attendance at particular fires or incidents or other work duties. They may be events that occurred over the last 10 to 15 years, or even more. For most firefighters this is difficult because of the absence of sufficient records, data or analysis held by the CFA on each event a firefighter attends.

Under commonwealth jurisdiction and some state laws, the law lists 12 cancers known to be more common to firefighters, and presumes them to be work related if a firefighter has sufficient years of service, effectively reversing the onus of proof.

The CFA volunteers are asking for legislation that will take the burden of proof away from the sick firefighters and, importantly, that will treat all firefighters, volunteer and paid, as equals.

My own electorate is in an area protected by CFA volunteers, but that is not unusual -- CFA brigades protective 60 per cent of suburban Melbourne -- --

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Morris) -- Order! The member's time has expired.

See the VFBV media release here

VFBV is hopeful the presentation of these petitions to the Victorian Parliament next week will help convince MPs of all parties to fix a problem that has now been fixed in most other States across Australia.

16,000 signatures are included in this first batch, making this one of the largest petitions to be presented to the current Parliament. In the meantime, the campaign continues and volunteers are urged to keep collecting signatures and posting completed petitions to VFBV, PO Box 453, Mt Waverley 3149.

The first batch of petitions was lodged with the assistance of Labor MP for Narre Warren North, Luke Donnellan, and Liberal MP for Hastings, Neale Burgess (Pictured).

Please post signed petitions to:

VFBV Cancer Petition, PO Box 453, Mt Waverley 3149.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of the petition kit, including instructions for its use and a leaflet explaining the issue to the public.

The Greens will be raising the issue of presumptive/cancer legislation for firefighters in the Upper House of the Victorian Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday 17 September, about 4pm.

They’ll be calling for the support of all parties.

This issue affects all CFA volunteers, so you are welcome to attend to sit in the gallery, hear the debate & show your support.

The address is Parliament House, Spring Street, Melbourne.

Get there early, visitors/observers are welcome but there are formalities with security.

UPDATE 7 NOVEMBER 2014 - VFBV Cautiously Welcomes Coalition's Cancer Announcement

Click here for VFBV's response

UPDATE 10 OCTOBER 2014 - First Batch of Petitions goes to Parliament

VFBV has lodged the first batch of petitions being collected across Victoria to urge the Government to fix problems with the existing firefighters’ cancer compensation process.

VFBV is hopeful the presentation of these petitions to the Victorian Parliament next week will help convince MPs of all parties to fix a problem that has now been fixed in most other States across Australia.

Over 17,000 signatures are included in this first batch, making this one of the largest petitions to be presented to the current Parliament. In the meantime, the campaign continues and volunteers are urged to keep collecting signatures and posting completed petitions to VFBV, PO Box 453, Mt Waverley 3149.

The first batch of petitions was lodged with the assistance of Labor MP for Narre Warren North, Luke Donnellan, and Liberal MP for Hastings, Neale Burgess.

UPDATE SEPT 22 - SEND IN SIGNED PETITIONS NOW, TO;

VFBV Cancer Petition

PO Box 453

Mt Waverley 3149

And keep collecting signatures to support CFA volunteers with cancer

CLICK HERE to download the 12 page petition

Start collecting today - from friends, family and the community.

Why?  Firefighters are more likely to suffer certain types of cancer, but if they become sick, the existing compensation system makes it almost impossible for them to be looked after.

Other States have fixed the problem, but Victoria lags behind. 

Help Firefighters to cut through the RED TAPE and make it simpler and fairer to access cancer compensation

CLICK HERE to download the big 50 page petition

HOW TO DO IT;

• The Victorian Parliament requires each signature to have a name and address, and the petition must only be signed on one side of the paper
• When you have a reasonable batch of signed petitions, send them in and keep collecting
• Post them to VFBV, PO Box 453, Mt Waverley 3149 (If you need help with the cost of return postage, call the VFBV office on 03 9886 1141)
• Take the petition everywhere with you
• Organise your Brigade to collect signatures in shopping streets, at community, church or sporting events – wherever large numbers of people are gathering
• We need thousands more signatures by 15 September, so send what you have before then

Want to read more about the issue? Download our;

VFBV’s Notes for Volunteers or

VFBV’s Notes for MPs