In 1997 I was first elected to the positions of Branch Secretary of the United Firefighters Union of Australia (Queensland Branch) and State Secretary of the United Firefighters Union of Australia, Union of Employees, Queensland. I was honoured to have been returned in those roles until the elections in 2009.

I consistently worked to improve the wages, working conditions and safety standards for all members of the Union.

I was personally involved in negotiations for every wage increase gained during the period I was Secretary. The increases gained in that time, with average annual increases in brackets are -

1st Year Firefighter	115.03%	(9.58%)
2nd Year Firefighter	91.44%	(7.62%)
3rd Year Firefighter	75.35%	(6.28%)
1st Class Firefighter	80.06%	(6.67%)
Senior Firefighter	82.68%	(6.89%)
Station Officer 1	87.58%	(7.30%)
Station Officer 2	86.50%	(7.20%)
Station Officer 3	88.88%	(7.40%)
Inspector	94.38%	(7.86%)
Superintendent	83.07%	(6.92%)
Comms Officer pp3	82.37%	(6.86%)
Comms Supervisor	120.75%	(10.06%)

All of these increases are well above inflation rates, and are arguably hard to match among other Public Sector industries.

Increases such as those do not come easy - they come from experience in knowing the best way to negotiate an outcome.

Also worth noting is that NONE of the increases came with trade-offs of ANY conditions.

I always ensured that each and every member received professional representation on all levels.

I am not, and never have been, a member of any political party. For that reason, I was able to gain positive returns for members regardless of the political party forming the government of the day.

As a member of the United Firefighters' Union, you have shown your commitment to the community and to the betterment of the conditions of everyone working in our industry - career Firefighters and Station Officers, Senior Officers, Auxiliary Firefighters and Communications Centre members. You need to ensure that the work continues. You need to ensure that the leaders of the Union are up to the task. You need to get active and remain active within YOUR Union and attend Branch meetings to ensure your voice is heard.