I support the Rural Fires Amendment (Fire Fighting Fleet) Bill 2026. This bill brings an important and long-overdue reform for local government and the NSW Rural Fire Service. It is a good example of what can be achieved when councils, parliamentary committees, members from across the political spectrum and the Government work together to resolve an issue. For nearly 30 years, councils across New South Wales have been required to recognise ownership of the Rural Fire Service's firefighting vehicles and equipment, commonly known as the red fleet. Yet, in practice, these assets are purchased, deployed and managed by the RFS. Councils have been left carrying significant financial and administrative obligations for assets over which they have little, if any, operational control. It is a system that for a long time has made little practical sense.

As a former mayor, I understand the financial pressures facing local councils and the importance of ensuring they can direct their limited resources towards the services and infrastructure their communities need. As a member of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, I had the opportunity to examine this issue in considerable detail through our inquiry into the assets, premises and funding of the NSW Rural Fire Service. Our committee heard compelling evidence from councils across the State about the problems created by these outdated arrangements. Councils described the difficulties of maintaining accurate asset registers, accounting for depreciation, managing maintenance arrangements and meeting audit requirements for vehicles they neither operate nor control. In some instances, councils struggled to verify the location or condition of assets that were supposedly on their books. This was not simply an inconvenience. It created real financial pressures, unnecessary duplication and uncertainty about responsibility and accountability.

Our committee concluded that the existing arrangements were no longer fit for purpose. We recommended that ownership of the red fleet be transferred to the RFS, that responsibility for maintenance and repairs be properly aligned, and that the broader legislative framework be reviewed to reflect how bushfire services actually operate today. I am therefore pleased that the Government has acted on this central recommendation. I acknowledge the former member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall, who championed this issue and introduced his own legislation to address the red fleet's ownership.

Read the full Second Reading Debate below, or in the NSW Hansard here