New laws passed to enact emergency services reform in Queensland

In a significant move aimed at enhancing Queensland's response to fire, disaster, and emergencies, new laws were passed in the state parliament last week.  

In a significant move aimed at enhancing Queensland's response to fire, disaster, and emergencies, new laws were passed in the state parliament last week.  

The laws are aimed at substantially reforming the state’s current emergency services model, including a $578 million investment over five years and an increase of nearly 500 additional full-time emergency services staff. 

Under the new legislation, emergency services will be streamlined. This process of streamlining includes: 

• The Queensland Police Service (QPS), who will take primary responsibility for the state's expanded disaster and emergency coordination functions; 

• A new fire department, the Queensland Fire Department (QFD), will be established; 

• The Queensland Reconstruction Authority's role will increase to further assist communities in recovering from and improving resilience to disasters; 

• Furthermore, the State Emergency Service (SES) and Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ) will operate as individual entities hosted by the QPS, with MRQ established as the state's first single, integrated marine rescue service; 

• Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) and Queensland Fire and Rescue (QFR) have also been established as dedicated fire services under the new QFD. 

These sweeping reforms stem from a series of independent reviews, including the Independent Review of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and the Review of Queensland's Disaster Management Arrangements (QDMA). 

Minister for Police and Community Safety, Mark Ryan, hailed the legislation as a landmark achievement, emphasising the government's commitment to ensuring the safety of Queenslanders. "Through these changes, we are building on our world-class capabilities and strengthening our protection and support for Queenslanders," said Minister Ryan. 

Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery, Nikki Boyd, highlighted the legislation's focus on providing Queenslanders with the best possible frontline support. "The establishment of the new QFD will better position our fire services to respond to the increasing impacts of emergencies and natural disasters," Minister Boyd noted. 

Queensland Police Commissioner, Steve Gollschewski, expressed excitement at welcoming SES and marine rescue volunteers into the QPS, emphasising their crucial role in delivering important local community safety services. 

“The QPS is excited to welcome the dedicated SES and marine rescue volunteers into our organisation and continue to support their outstanding contributions to protecting Queenslanders in times of local natural disaster,” he said.  

The legislative changes are proposed to come into effect from mid-2024. The SES is expected to undergo transition to become part of QPS around June and the new QFD is expected to be established by 1 July 2024.