The state government is playing a bad trick with its cut to the Rural Fire Service budget.
Along with most state government departments, the RFS has been required to cut its budget by 1.1 per cent. For the RFS, that's more than $10 million, causing proposed redundancies of 120 staff (out of 900).
But the RFS budget is paid principally by insurance companies.
By imposing such a budget cut, the state government is handing the insurance companies a huge windfall.
More importantly, are we to face a greater risk this summer when a reduced workforce seeks to protect us from bushfire?
