{"id":"nsw:act-1998-018","name":"Fire Services Joint Standing Committee Act 1998","slug":"fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nsw","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"18 of 1998","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":105293,"registerId":"nsw-act-1998-018-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Part 1","sectionType":"part","heading":"Preliminary","content":"# Part 1 Preliminary\n\nPart 1 Preliminary","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Name of Act","content":"#### 1 Name of Act\n\n1 Name of Act\n\n> This Act is the [Fire Services Joint Standing Committee Act 1998](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1998-018).","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"#### 2 Commencement\n\n2 Commencement\n\n> This Act commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Definitions","content":"#### 3 Definitions\n\n3 Definitions\n\n> In this Act:\n> \n> Committee means the Fire Services Joint Standing Committee established by this Act.\n> \n> exercise a function includes perform a duty.\n> \n> function includes a power, authority or duty.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"Part 2","sectionType":"part","heading":"Fire Services Joint Standing Committee","content":"# Part 2 Fire Services Joint Standing Committee\n\nPart 2 Fire Services Joint Standing Committee","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Establishment of Committee","content":"#### 4 Establishment of Committee\n\n4 Establishment of Committee\n\n> > (1) There is established by this Act a Fire Services Joint Standing Committee.\n> \n> > (2) The Committee is to consist of 6 members as follows:\n> > \n> > > (a) the Commissioner of New South Wales Fire Brigades,\n> > \n> > > (b) the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service,\n> > \n> > > (c) a member of staff of New South Wales Fire Brigades nominated from time to time by the Commissioner of New South Wales Fire Brigades,\n> > \n> > > (d) a member of the NSW Rural Fire Service nominated from time to time by the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service,\n> > \n> > > (e) a person appointed by the Minister on the recommendation of the NSW Fire Brigade Employees’ Union,\n> > \n> > > (f) a person appointed by the Minister on the recommendation of the NSW Rural Fire Service Association.\n> \n> > (3) Schedule 1 has effect with respect to the members and procedure of the Committee.","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Functions of Committee","content":"#### 5 Functions of Committee\n\n5 Functions of Committee\n\n> > (1) The Committee has the following functions:\n> > \n> > > (a) to develop and submit to the Minister strategic plans for the delivery of comprehensive, balanced and co-ordinated urban and rural fire services at the interface of fire district boundaries and rural fire district boundaries,\n> > \n> > > (b) to review periodically the boundaries of fire districts and rural fire districts and, if it considers it appropriate, to make recommendations to the Minister concerning those boundaries,\n> > \n> > > (c) to develop and submit to the Minister implementation strategies to minimise duplication and maximise compatibility between the services of New South Wales Fire Brigades and the services of the NSW Rural Fire Service, with particular reference to the following areas:\n> > > \n> > > > (i) infrastructure planning,\n> > > \n> > > > (ii) training activities,\n> > > \n> > > > (iii) community education programs,\n> > > \n> > > > (iv) equipment design,\n> > \n> > > (d) to report to the Minister on any matter referred to the Committee by the Minister and, if it considers it appropriate, to make recommendations to the Minister concerning that matter,\n> > \n> > > (e) such other functions as are conferred or imposed on the Committee by or under this or any other Act.\n> \n> > (2) In this section:\n> > \n> > fire district has the meaning given to it by the [Fire and Rescue NSW Act 1989](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1989-192).\n> > \n> > rural fire district has the meaning given to it by the [Rural Fires Act 1997](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1997-065).\n> \n> **s 5:** Am 2018 No 59, Sch 5.1.","sortOrder":6},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson","content":"#### 6 Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson\n\n6 Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson\n\n> > (1) There is to be a Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson of the Committee.\n> \n> > (2) The positions of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson are to be rotated between the Commissioner of New South Wales Fire Brigades and the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service as follows:\n> > \n> > > (a) the Commissioner of New South Wales Fire Brigades is to be the first Chairperson of the Committee, and the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service is to be the first Deputy Chairperson of the Committee,\n> > \n> > > (b) at each subsequent meeting of the Committee, the positions of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee are to be rotated between the Commissioner of New South Wales Fire Brigades and the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service.","sortOrder":7},{"sectionNumber":"Part 3","sectionType":"part","heading":"Miscellaneous","content":"# Part 3 Miscellaneous\n\nPart 3 Miscellaneous","sortOrder":8},{"sectionNumber":"7","sectionType":"section","heading":"Regulations","content":"#### 7 Regulations\n\n7 Regulations\n\n> The Governor may make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act, for or with respect to any matter that by this Act is required or permitted to be prescribed or that is necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.","sortOrder":9},{"sectionNumber":"8","sectionType":"section","heading":"Review of Act","content":"#### 8 Review of Act\n\n8 Review of Act\n\n> > (1) The Minister is to review this Act to determine whether the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms of the Act remain appropriate for securing those objectives.\n> \n> > (2) The review is to be undertaken as soon as possible after the period of 5 years from the date of assent to this Act.\n> \n> > (3) A report on the outcome of the review is to be tabled in each House of Parliament within 12 months after the end of the period of 5 years.","sortOrder":10},{"sectionNumber":"Schedule 1","sectionType":"schedule","heading":"Provisions relating to members and procedure of Committee","content":"# Schedule 1 Provisions relating to members and procedure of Committee\n\nSchedule 1 Provisions relating to members and procedure of Committee\n\n(Section 4 (3))\n\n**sch 1:** Am 1999 No 94, sec 7 (2) and Sch 5, Part 2; 2015 No 15, Sch 3.27 \\[1\\] \\[2\\].","sortOrder":11},{"sectionNumber":"9","sectionType":"section","heading":"General procedure","content":"#### 9 General procedure\n\n9 General procedure\n\n> The procedure for the calling of meetings of the Committee and for the conduct of business at those meetings is, subject to this Act and the regulations, to be as determined by the Committee.","sortOrder":20},{"sectionNumber":"10","sectionType":"section","heading":"Quorum","content":"#### 10 Quorum\n\n10 Quorum\n\n> The quorum for a meeting of the Committee is 4 members.","sortOrder":21},{"sectionNumber":"11","sectionType":"section","heading":"Presiding member","content":"#### 11 Presiding member\n\n11 Presiding member\n\n> > (1) The Chairperson (or, in the absence of the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson) is to preside at a meeting of the Committee.\n> \n> > (2) In the absence of both the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, another member of the Committee elected by the members present at a meeting of the Committee is to preside at the meeting of the Committee.","sortOrder":22},{"sectionNumber":"12","sectionType":"section","heading":"Voting","content":"#### 12 Voting\n\n12 Voting\n\n> A decision supported by a majority of the votes cast at a meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present is the decision of the Committee.","sortOrder":23},{"sectionNumber":"13","sectionType":"section","heading":"Subcommittees","content":"#### 13 Subcommittees\n\n13 Subcommittees\n\n> > (1) The Committee may establish subcommittees to assist the Committee in the exercise of its functions.\n> \n> > (2) The procedure for calling meetings of a subcommittee and for the conduct of those meetings is to be determined by the Committee or, subject to any determination by the Committee, by the subcommittee.\n> \n> > (3) The Committee may delegate to a subcommittee any of the functions of the Committee, other than this power of delegation.","sortOrder":24},{"sectionNumber":"14","sectionType":"section","heading":"Transaction of business outside meetings or by telephone","content":"#### 14 Transaction of business outside meetings or by telephone\n\n14 Transaction of business outside meetings or by telephone\n\n> > (1) The Committee may, if it thinks fit, transact any of its business by the circulation of papers among all the members of the Committee for the time being, and a resolution in writing approved in writing by a majority of those members is taken to be a decision of the Committee.\n> \n> > (2) The Committee may, if it thinks fit, transact any of its business at a meeting at which members (or some members) participate by telephone, closed-circuit television or other means, but only if any member who speaks on a matter before the meeting can be heard by the other members.\n> \n> > (3) For the purposes of:\n> > \n> > > (a) the approval of a resolution under subclause (1), or\n> > \n> > > (b) a meeting held in accordance with subclause (2),\n> > \n> > the Chairperson and each member have the same voting rights as they have at an ordinary meeting of the Committee.\n> \n> > (4) A resolution approved under subclause (1) is, subject to the regulations, to be recorded in the minutes of the meetings of the Committee.\n> \n> > (5) Papers may be circulated among the members for the purposes of subclause (1) by facsimile or other transmission of the information in the papers concerned.","sortOrder":25},{"sectionNumber":"15","sectionType":"section","heading":"First meeting","content":"#### 15 First meeting\n\n15 First meeting\n\n> The Minister may call the first meeting of the Committee in such manner as the Minister thinks fit.","sortOrder":26}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available information, the Act appears to have maintained its original purpose of establishing and governing a joint parliamentary standing committee for fire services oversight. The limited amendments in 2015 and 2018 do not appear to have altered its fundamental scope or intent."},"complexity_factors":["Very limited substantive content is visible in the provided text — only metadata, navigation, and status information are shown, not the actual operative provisions of the Act","The subject matter (establishing a parliamentary committee) is conceptually straightforward","The Act has remained largely unchanged since 2000, indicating minimal legislative complexity or amendment history","Single-purpose legislation with a narrow, well-defined scope"],"plain_english_summary":"The Act creates a permanent parliamentary Joint Standing Committee to oversee NSW fire services, reporting to the Minister for Emergency Services. It gives Parliament an ongoing role in scrutiny of fire agencies’ performance, governance and expenditure.\n\nThat oversight affects fire agencies and their staff, committee members, and—indirectly—all NSW residents by strengthening democratic accountability of critical public safety services."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing a coordination committee between urban and rural fire services. The 2018 amendment (noted at section 5) merely updated terminology references following the renaming of NSW Fire Brigades to Fire and Rescue NSW, without expanding the Committee's functions or membership structure."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute with only 8 sections and 1 schedule (15 clauses)","Minimal defined terms — only 3 definitions in the main Act, 4 in the Schedule","Straightforward structural logic: establishment → functions → administrative details in Schedule","Some cross-referencing to other Acts (Fire and Rescue NSW Act 1989, Rural Fires Act 1997, Government Sector Employment Act 2013) but these are standard definitional or exclusion references","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic — the most complex provision is the vacancy clause (clause 5 of Schedule 1) which lists 8 grounds for vacancy in plain disjunctive form ('or')","Simple procedural rules (quorum of 4, majority voting, rotating chairpersonship)"],"plain_english_summary":"This law creates a **Fire Services Joint Standing Committee** — a special group that brings together New South Wales' two main fire services to help them work together better.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Establishes a 6-person committee** with equal representation from:\n  - NSW Fire Brigades (now Fire and Rescue NSW) — 2 members\n  - NSW Rural Fire Service — 2 members  \n  - The firefighters' union — 1 member appointed by the Minister\n  - The Rural Fire Service volunteers' association — 1 member appointed by the Minister\n\n- **Sets up rotating leadership** between the two fire commissioners — they take turns being Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson at each meeting.\n\n**What the Committee actually does:**\n- Develops strategic plans for fire services where city and rural areas meet (the \"interface\")\n- Reviews and recommends changes to fire district boundaries\n- Finds ways to reduce duplication and improve compatibility between the two services, particularly in:\n  - Infrastructure planning\n  - Training\n  - Community education\n  - Equipment design\n- Reports to the Minister on any issues referred to them\n\n**Why it matters:**\nBefore this Act, NSW had two separate fire services with different cultures, equipment, and territories. This law forces them to sit at the same table and coordinate — particularly important in areas where urban sprawl meets bushland (the \"interface\"), and during major disasters like bushfires where both services need to work together seamlessly.\n\nThe Act also includes standard governance rules: how members are appointed, how long they serve (up to 3 years), how meetings run (4 people needed for a quorum), and that the law must be reviewed after 5 years."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Amendment notes in the source show that the Act’s functions and the Schedule have been amended (s 5: Am 2018 No 59, Sch 5.1; Sch 1: Am 1999 No 94 and 2015 No 15). Those amendments indicate changes to committee functions and member/procedure rules since the original enactment, so the current scope differs from the original text."},"complexity_factors":["Mixed membership: statutory office-holders plus ministerially appointed representatives (s4)","Rotating leadership between two Commissioners, changing presiding authority at each meeting (s6)","Advisory but multi-function remit: strategic planning, boundary review, implementation strategies and ad hoc reporting to Minister (s5)","Procedural detail allowing subcommittees, delegation and remote decision-making (sch 1 cl 13; cl 14)","Appointment, removal and vacancy rules for appointed members, including grounds and Ministerial discretion (sch 1 cl 5, cl 6)","Remuneration and deputies regime creating variable cost and attendance arrangements (sch 1 cl 3; cl 4)","Cross-references to other Acts for key definitions and employment exclusions (s5(2); sch 1 cl 8), requiring reading of external statutes"],"plain_english_summary":"Establishes a Fire Services Joint Standing Committee combining senior NSW Fire Brigades and NSW Rural Fire Service officials with two ministerially appointed representatives to plan and coordinate urban and rural fire services, review district boundaries, and recommend ways to reduce duplication and improve compatibility. The Committee advises the Minister, has a rotating chair between the two Commissioners, may form subcommittees and meet remotely, and its members are subject to appointment, removal and remuneration rules."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998","history":"/api/acts/fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998/history","analysis":"/api/acts/fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/fire-services-joint-standing-committee-act-1998/documents"}}