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Queensland act
This is a Queensland law that formally establishes the State Emergency Service (SES) as its own standalone organisation. Previously, the SES operated under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 — this Act gives it its own dedicated legal home.
1. Creates the SES as a standalone body The SES is formally established with three types of members: a chief officer (the top boss), paid employees, and volunteers.
2. Sets out what the SES can do The SES can perform rescues (including road crashes and vertical rescues), search operations (finding missing people or weapons), respond to severe weather events, help communities prepare for disasters, and even manage traffic at community events.
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Direct links to the current provisions in State Emergency Service Act 2024.
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View on official registerSourced from Queensland Legislation (legislation.qld.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
3. Gives emergency powers to 'authorised rescue officers' SES members can be appointed as "authorised rescue officers" — a special status that gives them significant powers during emergencies:
These powers can also be given to people from other states or countries who perform similar emergency functions.
4. Protects SES members from being sued As long as SES members and authorised rescue officers act honestly and without negligence, they cannot be held legally liable (sued) for anything they do under this Act.
5. Volunteers are covered by insurance The police commissioner must arrange WorkCover insurance (workers' compensation) for all SES volunteers while they're on duty or training.
6. Creates offences It is a criminal offence to:
7. Transitions from the old law Everyone who was previously a member of the old SES under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 is automatically treated as a member under this new Act. Their employment conditions are preserved. A validation provision also retrospectively fixes any appointment paperwork errors that may have occurred in the past.