Should Australian youth be conscripted into a 'national emergency service' to help deal with natural disasters?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: On May 4. 2019, the New South Wales State Emergency Service televised a promotion for its 'spontaneous volunteers'. The promotion presents a former spontaneous volunteer explaining the work he did.What they said...
'That bothers me. It bothers me that kids today wouldn't know a bloody sandbag, let alone a spade'
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie
'It all sounds good, but you just can't go out and send people to do these volunteer jobs'
One Nation leader senator Pauline Hanson
The issue at a glance
On September 14, 2019, independent Tasmanian senator, Jacqui Lambie, suggested the establishment of a 'national emergency service' to support the ranks of volunteers attempting to tackle the 'climate emergency', including the increased incidence of drought, fire and floods.
The Senator has called for a Senate inquiry to find new ways to expand the numbers of volunteers dealing with emergency relief. She warned that the 'climate emergency' will stretch the nation's emergency services, and that Australia needed to consider a form of national service to encourage volunteers.
Ms Lambie claimed, 'Maybe it's about time we looked at something like a national emergency service, where our kids don't go to war but we're going to need people to clean up.'
The idea has been condemned as impracticable by One Nation's leader Senator Pauline Hanson.
Lambie's suggestion has polarized social media provoking vigorous argument for and against it. There has been no response from the government either to Lambie's call for a Senate inquiry or to her suggestion of imposing 'national emergency service'. However, it has been noted that the Government may be willing to support the establishment of a Senate inquiry in return for Ms Lambie supporting specific Government legislation brought before the Senate.