Victorian AWU Forest Firefighters win historic pay rise as new Agreement approved

Victoria’s AWU Forest Firefighters have secured the largest pay rise in their history, after the Fair Work Commission approved their new Enterprise Agreement on Wednesday afternoon.

The Agreement, negotiated by the Australian Workers’ Union with DEECA, commences operation on Wednesday 15 July 2026.

AWU Victoria Country Lead Organiser and Branch President Ross Kenna said the approval was the culmination of an extraordinary campaign.

“The Fair Work Commission’s approval is the final step in delivering this Agreement. For far too long, AWU Forest Firefighters working at Forest Fire Management Victoria have been Victoria’s forgotten firefighters. While the politicians and media focus on firefighters in the city and volunteers in the regions, our dedicated professional members do the bulk of the work keeping Victoria safe from the worst that bushfire can do.”

At the centre of the Agreement is a wage increase worth between 20 and 29 per cent over the 3.5-year Agreement, including an immediate increase of between 10 and 18 per cent. Uncommonly for Enterprise Agreements, the lowest paid AWU Forest Firefighters will receive roughly equivalent dollar increases to the highest paid, worth up to $16,676.99 more a year by the end of the Agreement. The lowest hourly rate rises immediately from $28.27 to $33.20, an increase of roughly $5 an hour. AWU Forest Firefighters will also receive backpay, along with one-off lump sum payments worth up to over $5,000 in the first year.

“Our members deserved to be properly paid for protecting Victoria, and we are proud to say that fairness for AWU Forest Firefighters begins today,” Mr Kenna said.

The outcome caps a campaign more than two years in the making, endorsed by 98 per cent of members at ballot. Members took more than 35 forms of protected industrial action across 12 months, including a 24-hour strike and rally at Victorian Parliament, while ensuring community safety was never compromised. The AWU says the result was not a gift from government, but a win taken by AWU Forest Firefighters themselves, through sustained industrial action, strong union membership and solidarity across the state.

“Our members won every cent they will be paid under this Agreement,” Mr Kenna said. “From forcing the department to begin bargaining two years ago, to every member recruited and every industrial action enacted, every single member did their bit to achieve this win, battling a department that was at times unwilling and obstructive.

“These incredible members are the pride of the AWU Victorian Branch. Congratulations to every single one of them.”

The AWU has described the Agreement as only the first step towards AWU Forest Firefighters being recognised as the emergency workers that they are. Full recognition requires legislative change, and the union has vowed to keep campaigning for it, along with the entitlements it would bring, including legislative protection of presumptive cancer rights and additional superannuation.

“Our first step is complete, but let’s maintain the rage, because there is still so much to win,” Mr Kenna said. “AWU Forest Firefighters are emergency workers and should be treated as such by Victoria. No more thanks on social media, no more applause from politicians at a fire line. Now it is time for recognition worthy of the job they do.”

FAST FACTS: DEECA ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT

The Agreement

• Wage increases of between 20 and 29 per cent over the 3.5-year Agreement
• Immediate pay increase of between 10 and 18 per cent
• Lowest hourly rate increases immediately from $28.27 to $33.20
• Lowest paid firefighters receive roughly equivalent dollar increases to the highest paid, worth up to $16,676.99 more a year by the end of the Agreement
• One-off lump sum payments worth up to over $5,000 in Year 1
• Backpay to 23 December 2025, covering members’ significant fire campaigns last season
• Fire Lookout Observers (FLOs) receive wage increases of between 25 and 29 per cent
• Protected and expanded Remote Allowances
• Seasonal forest firefighters can carry over personal leave across seasons
• Improved Top-of-Band Payment, Shift Cancellation Payment, and Trainer and Assessor allowance
• Processes commenced to resolve outstanding issues including training, FLOs and underpayments

The campaign

• Endorsed by 98 per cent of members at ballot, on an 80 per cent turnout
• More than 35 forms of protected industrial action taken over 12 months, including:
• A 24-hour strike and rally at Victorian Parliament
• Returning to work centres for lunch breaks
• Bans on operating equipment, vehicles and mobile plant
• Bans on handling firewood
• Bans on recording in logbooks
• Bans on recreational site maintenance tasks
• Community safety was upheld throughout all industrial action

The workforce

• When not fighting fires or attending emergencies, AWU forest firefighters prepare for emergencies and care for Victoria’s state forests and national parks
• AWU FLOs are Victoria’s fire alarm, alerting the CFA, FFMV and other agencies to fires quickly and precisely
• Together, AWU forest firefighters and lookout observers ensure over 92 per cent of bushfires are contained before they exceed five hectares