Originally Posted by
Derfred
Now did I just hear on the radio that the PM just sent $12M to invest in increased air tanker support as a response to the request he received several months ago and ignored?
The cost of one single Skycrane helicopter is $40m, so all that extra money (actually only $11m) is going to get is extended leases on one or a few aircraft for a short while.
Yes the PM was told about this in April when 23 former Fire and Emergency Services Chiefs tried to warn him that with the Northern and Southern hemisphere fire seasons now overlapping we can’t continue to rely on overseas assets. It’s time for investment to provide for an adequate defence against the risks of bushfires that exist now, and more aircraft should be permanently based here.
With total fire and emergency services budgets nationwide around $4 billion compared to the military budget around $40 billion it would be justified to increase spending on emergency services. At least so some firefighters don’t have to ask for
donations to buy protective equipment.