CFA units are refusing to fight fires on land with high voltage power lines, solar or wind farms, accusing the Victorian government of not consulting them in the push for renewable energy despite the fire danger risk.
CFA volunteers at Gre Gre station striking against the push for renewable energy. Picture: Zoe Phillips Gre Gre Village CFA captain and St Arnaud deputy group officer Peter Knights told The Weekly Times fire brigades were not willing to “defend renewables infrastructure that destroys our communities, carves up our land, reduces our productive capacity and divides people”.Speaking with 3AW’s Jacqui Felgate, Mr Feeney said strike action was intended to show the CFA’s “frustration” at the government's lack of consultation with rural communities regarding the renewable energy transition.
“We want the government to stop. We want the government through emergency services, through the CFA hierarchy, to put a proper plan together, to put a proper risk assessment together of the impact this will have in our community and the impact it will have on our volunteer brigades." Sky News host Steve Price labelled the infrastructure rollout as “madness", voicing his support for the CFA’s latest move.