Equal Protection Needed
3.3M+
Active Victorian volunteers
0
No volunteer protections under Vic OHS law Section 5 OHSA Act 2004 (VIC).
Because volunteers are not “employees” under the OHS Act:
They cannot form Designated Work Groups (DWGs)
They cannot elect HSRs with statutory powers
They do not receive enforceable employee‑level protections (training, monitoring, record‑keeping duties)
They are protected only under Sections 23–24 (duties to “other persons”), which are much weaker than duties owed to employees.
6+
Major emergency services affected
297
Volunteer Organisations
1929
Non-profit organisations
618
Registered Charities
61
NGOs
Protecting Victoria's Frontline Heroes
Dedicated emergency volunteer responders across Victoria carry critical responsibilities without equivalent legal health and safety safeguards.
Emergency Responders
National Model Laws
Fair Safety Nets
CFA, Surf Life Saving, St John Ambulance, Ski Patrol, State Emergency Service, Police auxiliaries, Forest Fire Management, Parks Victoria, Decca (Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action),Hospital Networks, Marine Rescue members and others respond daily without formal statutory employee protection.
Other Australian states adopted model WHS laws classifying volunteers as employees. Victoria remains outdated, leaving local volunteers exposed to unmitigated safety risks.
Updating Victorian legislation safeguards those who give selflessly while assuring future volunteers that their safety and legal rights are fully protected.
How does this relate to CALDERN-Systemic Protection Vacuum
Victoria’s legal framework excludes emergency service volunteers from Designated Work Groups (DWGs) and Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs). For culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) volunteers, this institutional gap compounds vulnerability and produces severe safety disparities.
Policy Definition
Frontline Consequences
Structural Racism in Practice
Disproportionate Hazard Exposure
In policy and academic standards, structural racism defines a system that produces unequal outcomes for culturally diverse groups—even without racist intent—because its foundational rules were designed around the norms and expectations of the dominant cultural group. WHY:
The OHS Act was designed around paid English-speaking workers
CALD Volunteers experience greater harm because of cultural and linguistic factors
The lack of DWGs/HSRs removes the only culturally safe mechanism CALD volunteers could rely on
Internal consultation systems amplify cultural power imbalances
When a system’s design systematically disadvantages culturally diverse people, it meets the definition of structural racism. Intent is irrelevant — impact is what defines structural racism
Structural racism does not require: racist motives, racist individuals or racist policies
At Caldern we maintain that without statutory HSR representation or formal DWG participation, CALD volunteers lack recognized channels to escalate discrimination, communication barriers, or unsafe operational practices, leaving minority emergency responders acutely unprotected.
Take Action Now
Sign the Victorian Volunteer Petition
Urge Victorian lawmakers to prioritise volunteer safety by recognizing emergency responders as employees under Victorian Health and Safety laws.