Two years of sustained pressure by the NSW Nationals has led to a move to permanently introduce conditional registrations for Farm Fire Fighting Vehicles.
Farmers will be able to apply for the scheme from October 7, allowing them to drive their units on public roads when responding to an emergency.
Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Gurmesh Singh, said the commonsense change is a good start but more needs to be done to reduce red tape.
“When a fire breaks out, farmers are often the first to respond, and they can play a key role in limiting damage to property and protecting lives, particularly before emergency crews arrive,” Mr Singh said.
“In paddocks and sheds across regional NSW, there’s an army of privately owned firefighting assets known as the ‘mosquito fleet’ and it’s good to see they will now be able to be more readily utilised, but there are still questions around some of the stringent guidelines.
“We don’t want a situation where people are being rejected for things like needing to have the equipment permanently attached, which might not be practical for a farmer in a day-to-day sense.”
Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Dave Layzell said the measure will save farmers the full registration fee but could go further.
“Farm Fire Fighting Vehicles tend to be used around the farm and not on public roads, which is why the conditional registration will be key to allow them to attend nearby fires without the high cost of a full registration,” Mr Layzell said.
“Although the government’s current plan has reduced that cost, it’s still double the amount they would fork out to conditionally register a tractor.
“So while it’s a step in the right direction, more needs to be done so landholders aren’t deterred from signing up to help their neighbours in an emergency.”
NSW Nationals MLC Scott Barrett said the implementation comes 12 months after the government originally promised to have it in place.
“It’s a great relief to see farmers finally have a scheme that will reduce their liability and help protect their communities,” Mr Barrett said.
“Farmers have always stepped up in times of need, often taking on enormous personal risk, so covering these firefighting assets is a huge step towards giving them the protection and peace of mind they deserve.”
