The state government wants to boost the number of frontline SES workers by 500 is expected to cost $400 million, doubling the annual spend to keep the service running.
The annual spend would be $60 million per year, up from the current baseline of $23 million.
SES workers are at the frontline every time it floods in Logan and have been recognised as the heroes of our community.
Reforms, according to a statement from the state government, would include crucial safety equipment, vehicles and vessels, and more support for councils for certain expenses, like operational vehicle maintenance and fuel.
State Disaster Coordinator, Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski will oversee reforms.
The Taskforce will work closely with all stakeholders, including local councils, to ensure the required changes will be undertaken in a measured, consistent and cohesive way.
A strength of the SES is its partnership between the community and state and local governments – this will always remain the case.
In addition the SES will become its own separate entity with its own dedicated budget.
Further, given the long-running and close working relationship the SES has with police, the SES will be hosted by the Queensland Police Service’s overarching structure and associated support services.
Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said these changes would provide an enhanced frontline response capability when natural disasters and other emergencies impact the state.
“Every reform the government is undertaking is aimed at providing Queenslanders with the best possible frontline support.
“Everyone in the community sees the extraordinary efforts of our dedicated SES volunteers when natural disasters strike.
“By setting up the SES as its own separate entity with the QPS, with its own dedicated budget and also significantly boosting its budget, these changes will result in an even better resourced and more capable SES.
“This is all about enhancing Queensland’s capacity to respond to the natural disasters and severe weather events that we have all witnessed first hand in recent years, including the severe flooding which had such devastating impacts earlier this year.”
