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The commitment relies on the WA Government being returned at the State Election in March, but adds to nationwide acceptance that the law is needed, which is good news for Victorian volunteers.
In a media release, the WA Emergency Services Minister Troy Buswell said the WA Government would “amend legislation to ensure a career or volunteer firefighter who developed a prescribed cancer - one of 12 cancers as scheduled in the Commonwealth legislation - would have greatly simplified workers’ compensation considerations”.
“This legislation will provide cover for career and volunteer firefighters who predominantly undertake structural firefighting duties, and retrospectively take into account their past years of service,” he said.
The announcement follows the WA Opposition’s earlier call for legislation covering career firefighters only.
The WA Government has also promised a welfare fund for West Australian volunteers, describing it as based on the Victorian model – VFBV’s Volunteer Welfare Fund.
In Victoria, VFBV and the United Firefighters Union are campaigning for presumptive cancer compensation legislation to cover Victorian volunteers and career firefighters.
Victorian Labor and Greens have committed to supporting presumptive cancer law for firefighters in Victoria. The Coalition Government has neither committed to supporting the legislation nor signalled an objection.
