On 7 July 2020, I officially retired from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service after 39 years and 1 day, the last 29 of those years within South Eastern Region.

From 1996 until 2009 I was the State Secretary of the Queensland United Firefighters Union and the Queensland Branch Secretary of the United Firefighters Union of Australia. In my 13 years as Secretary, I was heavily involved in the negotiations for each and every Enterprise Agreement - returning wage increases of around 82% for S/FF in that time (or 6.89% per year). Results like those don't come easy - it takes an intricate knowledge of how we work and the background of arguments previously run.

Some Of My Achievements

·         Instrumental in negotiating each of our wage increase agreements since 1996.

·         Instrumental in recruiting Auxiliary Firefighters as members - with now almost 450 members.

·         Instrumental in the purchase of the Union's own premises, which has now doubled in value.

·         Responsible for the facilitation of a 'Global Alliance' of firefighting Unions from around the world.

·         Responsible for improvements in protective clothing worn by firefighters.

·         Responsible for having significantly raised the profile of the Union publicly through media events and interviews.

·         Initiating and maintaining the Union's web site to improve communication to members.

I am proud to have achieved positive results for members in my time leading the Union. The gains we made in that time have placed the Union on a sure footing for future advancements.

Also please feel free to post on my blog. I am happy to answer any questions.  Visit http://markwalkerfirefighter.blogspot.com