The CFA’s 60,000 skilled volunteers make up around 95 per cent of Victoria’s firefighting force. That’s a lot of people giving their time for the good of our communities 24-7.

CFA volunteers are from all walks of life and highly trained to professional, nationally-recognised standards. This enables them to protect our communities in a wide range of situations, including urban and rural fires, motor vehicle accidents, rescues and hazardous material incidents.

Considering Victoria is one of the most fire prone areas in the world, including our region that has had its share of major fires over the years, this volunteer capability means there is a huge surge capacity to provide skilled resources to combat Victoria’s large incidents when they happen.

District 5 is made up of volunteers from the Shires of Moyne, Southern Grampians and the City of Warrnambool. These volunteers serve their local communities and distant communities when required. Our volunteers have attended most major fires across the state and can be counted on to work professionally with other CFA volunteers and paid staff.

There is no doubt that the loved ones of volunteers deserve a special mention as it is common for volunteers to sacrifice important things like Christmas and birthdays together due to their dedication.

I also thank the employers that enable volunteers to serve the community during work hours, as it is understood that this can sometimes be inconvenient.

CFA volunteers are proof that the Australian spirit of giving tirelessly when others need it most lives on. This should be celebrated.

Owen O’Keefe, District 5 State Councillor, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria.

The lunatics have not only taken over the asylum but the whole country is now under threat. What a shocking decision to allow young criminals under sentence who have smashed up their remand centres to proceed with claims against the state Government for rehousing them in adult prisons.  

I am one of the more politically correct people you will come across but this smacks of policy grandstanding.  These young criminals are incarcerated for a reason and when they destroy the places they are incarcerated in the only other place to hold them is an adult prison.  

I for one refuse to accept the decision that those prisoners should be allowed to sue our government   because the consequence is that these people who have been found guilty of committing a crime which caused them to become incarcerated in the first place will now have the people who they committed the crime against pay them compensation money through the tax dollar as an apology for worsening their conditions. This is an absolute joke and people should be ashamed for even floating this idea let alone making a rule on it.  

If these people get compensation then redirect that money back to their victims as part payment for the wrongs they did against them. After all it is they who are claiming that if someone has done something wrong there should be a financial settlement.  Why not use the compensation to go toward repaying the damage they caused to the youth centre?  Don’t dare give them money in their pocket, that’s just wrong.

Some of the human rights should be taken away from them when they are imprisoned for taking away the human rights of others, this forms part of the punishment. Remember that word? It’s what you get when you do the wrong thing. The public who do not break the law have rights too and that’s the right to be safe and not to have the money they pay in taxes claimed by people who have a criminal record.

David MacPhail, Warrnambool