SES volunteers deserve full support from State Government as clean-up continues

Liberal Party Victoria

The Victorian Liberals and Nationals are calling on the Allan Labor Government to fully support SES volunteers and local communities as the clean-up from high winds earlier this week continues.

On Monday, extreme wind gusts of up to 146 km/h resulted in damage across the state with more than 180,000 homes reporting power outages and 4300 emergency calls for fallen trees, damage to property and other disruptions.

As the clean-up continues and with the prospect of more extreme weather over coming days and weeks, Victoria’s outstanding SES volunteers must be fully supported by the Allan Labor Government.

No volunteer should be left out of pocket and expected to bear the costs of cleaning up their local community and Labor must step up and ensure operational costs are fully funded.

Leader of the Opposition, John Pesutto, said: “The Victorian Liberals and Nationals will always back our hardworking volunteers and support them in the outstanding work they do.

Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Richard Riordan, said: “No volunteer should be expected to bear any cost associated with their work and the Allan Labor Government must step-up and fully support clean-up efforts across the state.”

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