Media Release | 12 December 2025
Rob Horstman MLC
Shadow Minister for Emergency Services
Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Rob Horstman has welcomed the outcome of recent proceedings before the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC) today regarding the industrial action of firefighters.
The WAIRC outcome includes an immediate administrative pay increase for firefighters, while industrial bans have been lifted by agreement during a high-risk period for emergencies across Western Australia.
Mr Horstman said the outcomes confirms that firefighters’ concerns were legitimate and that industrial action has forced meaningful engagement from the Government and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).
Mr Horstman said he had met with the United Professional Firefighters Union (UPFU) on several occasions throughout the dispute and had consistently heard the same message from frontline firefighters.
“This dispute was never just about pay. Firefighters have been raising serious concerns about safety, staffing levels, fatigue and consultation for a long time, and those concerns have not gone away,” Mr Horstman said.
“They have agreed to lift most industrial action during the peak threat period, and they have done so without conceding on the core issues that matter to them and to the safety of the public.”
Mr Horstman did however warn that the dispute is far from resolved, with key elements of the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement still outstanding.
“This is not the end of the matter,” he said. “A short-term pay adjustment does not address the deeper issues around workload, fatigue, resourcing and long-term workforce sustainability.”
Mr Horstman said the Government now had an obligation to engage genuinely and constructively with firefighters and their representatives.
“The Commission orders may have paused industrial action, yet they have not resolved the underlying problems,” Mr Horstman said.
“The Government must not treat this as an opportunity to delay or deflect. Firefighters have acted professionally and responsibly, and they deserve the same in return.”
Mr Horstman said the Opposition would continue to monitor the bargaining process closely and hold the Government to account on emergency services workforce issues.
“Western Australians rely on firefighters at their most vulnerable moments,” he said.
“Ensuring they are properly supported, properly resourced and listened to is vital.”
ENDS
