More than 1000 members of the United Firefighters Union (UFU), along with supporters from other unions, marched to the Victorian parliament house on September 13 to protest against funding cuts to the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the Country Fire Authority.
UFU members marched in their uniforms, despite attempts by management to intimidate them not to do so.
Leaked Treasury documents obtained by the union show that the Metropolitan Fire Brigade will lose $25 million and the Country Fire Authority $41 million in the first year of the cuts.
Minister for Emergency Services Peter Ryan has confirmed that the figures were accurate, but said the cuts would not affect frontline services.
However, UFU national secretary Peter Marshall told the rally that firefighting services are already over-stretched. He said the funding cuts had already led to delays in recruiting and training new staff.
Marshall told the rally that the Ted Baillieu state government is ignoring the recommendations of the royal commission into the February 2009 bushfires, which killed 173 people. He said the royal commission had identified the need for more firefighters.
Victorian Labor opposition leader Daniel Andrews and state Greens MP Colleen Hartland also addressed the rally.