Thursday, 20 February 2025

Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:22): My question is to the Premier. Under the Labor government’s latest tax grab, the huge increases to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, CFA volunteer David George from Lake Goldsmith will see his fire levy increase from $7000 per year to $20,000 per year. In a cost-of-living crisis, why are Victorians like David facing a 186 per cent increase in their bills for a service they already operate as a volunteer, simply because Labor cannot manage money?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:23): I thank the Leader of the National Party, the member for Gippsland South, for his question. The government announced in December of last year some substantial reforms to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. This was in recognition that in the fire services but also across the state’s emergency services there are men and women who go out in the most difficult of times to respond to emergencies. That is why we announced that we are replacing the fire services property levy with the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, and every dollar will be returned back to those emergency agencies. We have seen it particularly in recent years, whether it was the floods around Rochester –

Richard Riordan interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Polwarth! This is your last warning.

Jacinta ALLAN: and northern Victoria, the Dandenongs on repeated occasions or indeed every single fire season –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, relating to relevance, this was on why volunteers are being taxed for the fire services levy.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, there clearly is no point of order. The Premier was being entirely relevant to the question, and she was discussing the levy, our volunteers and the importance of ensuring that we have the funding and support for our CFA volunteers that is needed.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: As I was saying, with the increasing number of more extreme weather events that we are seeing here in this state and the ongoing work that is asked for by the state emergency services, alongside the CFA and other volunteer organisations, we rely on these organisations to keep our homes safe, to keep our businesses going and to support our community. One way of supporting them is making sure that every single dollar through this fund is returned back to our emergency services.

The member for Gippsland South referred to an individual who he has confirmed across the table is a CFA volunteer. What we have also made very clear is that an exemption from this fund will be made for active volunteers within the CFA and VICSES on their primary place of residence. We understand that there needs to be additional support for our volunteers in response to the additional demands, the additional call-outs and the additional requirements that have been placed on them as a result of increasing, more frequent, more fierce weather events, and through the fund we will support them, with every dollar being returned to support their efforts.

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:26): After the Werribee by-election the Premier said:

I am listening. My government is listening.

…

It is absolutely clear … we need to do more.

Will the Premier listen to volunteers such as David and axe this unfair tax increase?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:27): I take the member for Gippsland South back to one of the core reasons why we have made this change to the fire services levy. It is because we listened to those members of the SES. We listened to those members –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Members will be removed without warning.

Jacinta ALLAN: We listened to those members of the SES – members in my community who raised this with me, who wanted to see an opportunity for them, for their service to be recognised, for their efforts to be supported through a fund like the Victorian emergency services fund.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, answers to questions need to be factual. The SES volunteers asked for their services to be improved, not for them to be personally taxed.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: I was being entirely relevant. The member for Gippsland South asked me about how we have listened to the community, and I am telling him how we have listened to the men and women of the SES, who wanted to see opportunities to have their efforts supported, and that is exactly what we are doing through the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund.