Federal election: Full coverage CFA board sacked, five new names announced Cracks emerge among volunteer firefighters in row over union deal 
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has thrust the Victorian Country Fire Authority dispute to the centre of the election campaign by vowing to make amending workplace laws to protect volunteer firefighters his "first item of business" if the Coalition is re-elected.
Speaking to a group of CFA volunteers in Geelong on Thursday, Mr Turnbull said Labor's behaviour during the dispute had been "an assault not just on the safety of Victorians" but "an assault on what is the very best in our Australian spirit".  
CFA volunteers have argued the Andrews government has tried to subordinate their role in the organisation to paid firefighters at the behest of the United Firefighters Union.
The dispute has led to the resignation of emergency services minister Jane Garrett and the removal of the CFA board. 
Federal Labor fears the dispute could cost it support in key Victorian marginal seats such as Corangamite, where Mr Turnbull was campaigning on Thursday. 
"Your volunteerism, your service, your selflessness is being trampled on by this extraordinary Labor government and is being supported by Bill Shorten," Mr Turnbull told volunteers at the Highton Bowling Club.
"The only way you can ensure you will be protected from this union takeover is to return the Coalition, my government, on   July the second.
"Believe me, the first item of business will be to protect you.
"We have the means to do it, the legal capacity to do it and we will act on it as soon as we are returned to government."
Mr Turnbull said the Coalition would seek to amend the Fair Work Act in the first sitting week of the next Parliament to expand the list of "objectionable terms" that cannot be included in enterprise agreements to include anything that would restrict the ability of volunteer emergency services authorities from carrying out their duties.
Mr Turnbull said Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's refusal to intervene in the dispute showed he was captive to the union movement.
"This shows the ruthlessness of the modern Labor party because they have to do the bidding of unions," he said.
"On the face of it, it looks like political madness. But it shows how controlled they are by a small number of militant unions."
On Thursday Mr Shorten said the dispute was a state matter, and accused Mr Turnbull of "grandstanding" on the issue to win electoral favour.
"Does anyone think if there wasn't a federal election that Mr Turnbull would have anything to say about this issue?" he said.
Mr Shorten said his parliamentary voting record showed he had a "track record of supporting volunteers", and that Labor introduced Fair Work Act changes that protected volunteers from being unfairly prejudiced by their employers.
"The Liberals voted against the final Fair Work Act in the Senate. I've got no doubt Mr Turnbull wants to use volunteers as political pawns in his pursuit of power but ??? I'm interested in solutions which speed up the resolution of these matters," he said.
John Zaina, the first lieutenant of the Morrison and District Rural Fire Brigade, said: "This is changing a lot of votes - a lot of people feel very betrayed by Labor.
"This is like shooting Bambi."
Mr Zaina, who described himself as a swinging voter, said: "We're rallying as many people as we can to support the Liberals."
Meanwhile, Premier Daniel Andrews hit out at Mr Turnbull over a Liberal donation drive stemming from the Hands Off the CFA website.
The Premier said Mr Turnbull had to commit that every dollar raised by the Liberals from that website would be donated to the CFA.
"This is shameful, it is absolutely disgraceful what has gone on with a sham website, a scam in effect; every single dollar should go to the CFA."
Mr Andrews said the Prime Minister had not even read the firefighters' agreement.
"Not one word of it. He will drop the CFA as quickly as he found it. He is all about cutting the resources available to the Victorian government. He has done in it hospitals, in schools, in infrastructure," Mr Andrews said.
"He has done nothing for Victoria."
with Nicole Hasham
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