Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Fire services property levy

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:35): My question is to the Premier. Under Labor’s punitive increase in the fire levy, the rate for a non-principal place of residence, which includes rental providers, will double. In a cost-of-living and rental crisis, how much will this tax increase cost renters?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:35): In thanking the member for Gippsland South for his question, of course we need to remember the context in which the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund is being developed. It is of course, if you go back to the Black Saturday fires of 2009 and the subsequent royal commission that was held into those devastating fires, one of the recommendations was to introduce a levy to fund our emergency services. That was introduced –

Michael O’Brien interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: I am glad you have acknowledged you introduced that, member for Malvern. I am very glad you have acknowledged your role, member for Malvern, because I was coming to that. I am glad you have self-declared.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of debating the issue, the Premier is 45 seconds in and still talking about 2013. I ask you to bring her back to today.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. The Premier was providing important contextual information about the fire services levy, which is entirely relevant to the question. I ask that you rule the point of order out of order.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order at this point. Premier, be mindful of the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: It is important context because the proposed changes are to expand an existing mechanism that was put in place following the royal commission’s recommendation. Legislation – and apologies to the member for Rowville or the member for Malvern, I am not sure in whose period of time as Treasurer this was canvassed – was put to the Parliament and has been in place since around 2012 or 2013.

Michael O’Brien interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: Thank you – since 2013. He is very helpful, the member for Malvern. I am very grateful for your assistance. We have seen since then a change in both the way our community is experiencing repeat extreme weather patterns and how that is putting more and more pressure on our state emergency services.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of relevance, I have been waiting nearly 2 minutes and the Premier has not even mentioned the word ‘renter’, which is what the question was about.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, the question was about the fire services levy and the way in which it relates to different people in our community. The Premier is being entirely relevant to the question, and I ask that you rule the point of order out of order.

Bridget Vallence: On the point of order, Speaker, the question was about the increase to the fire levy in December 2024 – that is what it was about – so the point of order that the Leader of the Nationals raised should be upheld.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant, but I do remind the Premier about the specific question.

Jacinta ALLAN: The question goes to the collection mechanism for this levy. The collection mechanism has not changed from when the member for Malvern introduced it in 2013. The collection mechanism remains through local government rate notices.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the question says nothing about the collection process. It is asking about how this tax increase will hurt renters. I ask you, on relevance, to get the Premier to answer that very narrow question.

The SPEAKER: I have ruled on this. The Premier was being relevant. I have reminded the Premier about the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: In terms of impact on households, as we have seen through the repeat extreme weather patterns, there is huge impact on households. There is huge impact on property owners particularly – and I refer to the member for Monbulk and the work she has done in her community – in terms of those extreme weather patterns. Do you know who the first responders in Monbulk are? It is the SES, which is why we have expanded the remit of this existing levy to include support for our hardworking state emergency services and the volunteers.

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:40): The government’s own website shows the median liability for rental providers will increase by a third. How does this increased charge help reduce rent for people struggling to cope in a cost-of-living crisis?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:41): In acknowledging the member for Gippsland South’s question, I do wonder if we are seeing a policy reversal from the member for Gippsland South and if they are now walking away from the policy position they had in government to see a mechanism like this to collect funds for our emergency services, who respond in the most difficult of circumstances, in the most extreme weather events, and that is providing support particularly for those volunteers, who deserve support in terms of having their equipment funded and their stations built. That is what this levy is about providing support for, and it will be up to the member for Gippsland South as to whether he supports it.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of relevance, I will take your guidance and not repeat the question, but the question and the supplementary were about the impact of this levy increase on renters, and the Premier has not mentioned it once.

The SPEAKER: I cannot compel the Premier how to answer the question, but I do remind the Premier of the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: In concluding in the time available, I remember visiting Mirboo North last year and seeing the devastation on that town, in the member for Gippsland South’s electorate, by the extreme weather event. I reckon those SES volunteers around the state, who travelled around the state, deserve our support.