Union slams proposed sale of aviation firefighting facilities

“Australians expect world-class aviation rescue firefighters to come to their aid when something goes wrong, not an emergency service run according to a lowest bidder mentality designed to maximise returns for an investment fund,” said UFUAV branch secretary Wes Garrett.

“Under the proposal, ownership and management of critical aviation safety assets would be transferred to a commercial operator whose primary obligation would be delivering a financial return to investors, not protecting the safety of air travellers or firefighters.

“We have seen this exercise attempted in other jurisdictions before. When profit becomes a central driver of decision-making, there is always inevitable pressure to cut costs.

“That will mean delaying maintenance on our specialised firefighting vehicles, reducing investment in equipment and facilities or underinvesting in operational readiness.”

According to Garrett, the proposal – covering aviation fire stations, specialised firefighting vehicles, training facilities and protective equipment – would undermine safety and cost taxpayers more money in the long run.

“Aviation firefighting works because the crews, vehicles, technicians, and infrastructure operate as one integrated system. Breaking that system apart introduces risk where none currently exists,” he said.

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“Emergency services demand absolute clarity of responsibility. When a commercial entity controls equipment and infrastructure, you introduce competing priorities between investor returns and public safety.

“Privatisation schemes like this rarely save money. They shift public assets into private hands while taxpayers pay more over the long term.”

In a statement, an Airservices spokesperson said many of its firefighting assets are at or approaching end-of-life and that the “cooperative arrangement” would allow it to “access the funding required to modernise Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting assets faster”.

“Under this pr​oposal, an Australian strategic investment partner would own, maintain, impr​ove and ​replace ARFF vehicles, equipment and facilities.​ T​he approach would accelerate investment in new assets without changing the work our people do,” the spokesperson said.

“Airservices will contin​​​​​u​​e to de​live​r ARFF, Air Tra​ffic Control​, and all enabling functions a​s required under the Air Se​rvices Act 1995, and retain full accountability for regulatory and safety compliance.​​​

“Airservices has been actively engaging with stakeholders including government, our staff and their union representatives since December, and provided detailed information and documentation about the proposal.

“We will continue to consult with stakeholders throughout April and will keep our stakeholders updated on any developments.”

Airservices provides ARFF services at 27 of the country’s busiest airports, and operates a fleet of more than 100 firefighting vehicles.