THE Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has clarified media reports of increased insurance premiums for bushfire volunteers, saying there was never any doubt that a 26 per cent increase would be covered either by the local government entity or DFES.
The issue came to light last week after Liberal Emergency Services spokesman Steve Thomas called on the State government to support the volunteers across the State "in the wake of a massive rise in bushfire volunteer insurance premiums faced by shires and cities".
He said the cost of covering bushfire volunteers skyrocketed this year in response to a Supreme Court case which determined that the cost of injury to bushfire volunteers was to be borne primarily by local governments.
"Insurance costs have risen nearly 30pc per volunteer as a result, which would have had a significant impact on local government budgets, especially those smaller jurisdictions with large areas of native vegetation who would have been especially vulnerable to the increased cost," Dr Thomas said.
He said some local governments were facing increases of up to 67pc of the cost of insurance to cover bushfire volunteers, which was in many cases unmanageable.
Dr Thomas said the "Fenwick case decision effectively absolved the State government of the bulk of legal responsibility, but in my view the State remains morally liable for greater support of the system".
"To leave local governments to carry the bulk of the financial burden without adequate support will undermine the whole system of local government management of bushfire preparedness and response, and risks having shires abandoning the process and leaving it to the State to manage," he said.
"In regional and remote areas in particular this would be a disaster."
Dr Thomas said there were shires in the South West and Great Southern facing insurance premium rises of 67pc or two thirds because of successful recruitment and rising costs.
DFES Corporate Services executive director Richard Burnell has confirmed that the Local Government Grants Scheme would cover the cost of insurance for Bush Fire Brigades as well as any increases and local governments could receive a reimbursement through DFES who administrates the Local Government Grants Scheme.
Dr Thomas said the DFES response was reassuring and welcomed.
The Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) confirmed an increase of 26pc in insurance premiums for volunteer firefighters from member mutual insurance provider LGIS as a result of the changing context for claims in this area.
A spokesperson for WALGA said it was a standard increase in the per volunteer cost and so may vary according to the size of an individual local government's volunteer brigade.
WALGA also reiterated that local governments were able to claim back their insurance costs for Bush Fire Brigades through the Local Government Grants Scheme administered by DFES.
