Victoria Government Denies Staff Cuts at State Control Centre Amid Union Claims

The Community and Public Sector Union says a proposed restructure of Emergency Management Victoria will effectively cut staffing at the State Control Centre by almost two-thirds, a claim the government has refuted.

Emergency Management Victoria and Emergency Recovery Victoria are set to be merged under plans being considered by the Victorian government, triggering staffing changes at the State Control Centre — the unit that oversees bushfire and flood response statewide.

Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes announced the merger late last year, one of several government entities amalgamated as part of the Silver review of the Victorian public service.

The State Control Centre is Victoria's operating hub for the management of emergencies across the state and often hosts press conferences featuring premiers, prime ministers, as well as police and fire chiefs.

Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) Victorian branch secretary Jiselle Hanna said the amalgamation would result in a cut to control centre staffing from the current 88 full-time equivalent staff to 31 full-time equivalent workers.

Ms Hanna said current State Control Centre staff were rostered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but the remaining staff would move to a "business hours" model of 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday under the proposed changes.

"Disasters don't stick to a 9 to 5 schedule, so the dedicated workers responsible for managing them shouldn't either," she said.

"This is the reality of cutting back line workers. But they aren't the back line, they are the backbone."

An Emergency Management Victoria spokesperson said the State Control Centre would continue to be staffed around the clock under the projected reforms.

"The State Control Centre will maintain a 24/7 operating model to continue to respond to more frequent and complex emergencies," the spokesperson said.

The Victorian government also said there would be "no net reduction in staffing" and that it would continue investing in the state's emergency services, including $2 billion in this year's budget.

"Backed by our record investment … there will be no reduction in staffing," they said.

Commissioner claims there will still be 88 full-time staff

The CPSU said proposed staffing changes would roll back reforms triggered by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, which found emergency readiness should exist before a crisis rather than be "built reactively during it".

The royal commission investigated the official response to the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 during which 173 people died.

"Emergencies do not escalate neatly," Ms Hanna said.

Victorian MPs raised concerns with Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch over the proposed centre changes in budget estimates last week.

Mr Wiebusch said there would still be 88 full-time staff as part of the new control centre model but as part of "a slightly different mix".

Shadow Emergency Services Minister Danny O'Brien said the government needed to assure Victorians that appropriately qualified staff would be on hand when disasters strike.

"We know that due to Labor's financial mismanagement, Emergency Recovery Victoria has now been folded into [Emergency Management Victoria] and some jobs will be lost through natural attrition," he said.

Late last year, the government introduced a two-year rate freeze to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund for farmers as part of its budget update.

The levy stirred controversy after farmers were facing increases of tens of thousands of dollars.

Victorian Farmers Federation acting president Peter Star labelled the proposed State Control Centre rejig as "a deeply concerning move".

"Coming at the same time farmers are being hit with the looming emergency services levy hike, this is a slap in the face to the people who are already paying more while expecting emergency services to be strengthened, not stripped back."