The structure of Queensland’s emergency services will change from June this year under new laws passed in State Parliament this week.
From July 1, the state will have a new Queensland Fire Department, which will manage both Queensland Fire and Rescue and the Rural Fire Service Queensland.
Also in July, marine volunteer rescue units across the state will start a six-month transition to a new Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ).
MRQ will be managed by the Queensland Police Service (QPS), which will also take responsibility for the State Emergency Service from June this year.
Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said the changes would give the QPS primary responsibility for the state’s disaster and emergency coordination functions.
In addition, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s role increases to further help communities recover from, and improve resilience to, disasters.
