The Tasmanian government has failed to confirm if it will ask for State Emergency Services volunteers to be included in a national financial assistance program, saying the decision to broaden the volunteer support scheme was one for the Commonwealth government to make.
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On Monday, the SES Volunteers Association called for all volunteers, not just firefighters, to be reimbursed for lost income or out of pocket expenses during an extended response to any emergency.
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Following a request for comment on this proposal, a government spokesperson originally said the Tasmanian government had already asked its Federal counterparts for Tasmanian SES volunteers to be included in the scheme before retracting this statement and issuing a new one.
The spokesperson said the Tasmanian government would keep working with its Federal counterparts to ensure those who are actively fighting the fires and who lose income receive the support they need.
"If the Commonwealth makes an offer to the state to include SES volunteers then we would welcome such an offer," the spokesperson said.
Both Labor and the Greens said they supported the association's proposal.