Thursday, 6 March 2025

Fire services funding

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:29): My question is to the Premier. The government’s budget update shows that during a cost-of-living crisis Labor’s new fire levy tax increase will rip an additional $2.1 billion out of the pockets of Victorians over the next three years. Last year Fire Rescue Victoria received a budget increase of $192 million, or 22 per cent, after spending $31 million on consultants and $125 million on overtime. At the same time, the CFA budget was cut. How much more will Victorians have to pay for the money pit that is FRV?

The SPEAKER: I just remind the Premier to not anticipate debate.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:30): Thank you, Speaker, for that advice. In answering the member for Gippsland South’s question, there is only one show in this house that cuts funding to the CFA, and that is the Liberal and National parties – when the member for Rowville was in government, when the member for Malvern was the Treasurer. There is only one show that cuts funding to the CFA. What we will do –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Tarneit, you can leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Tarneit withdrew from chamber.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, standing orders require the Premier to be factual. If she does not believe there was a funding cut, she needs to go back and look at the CFA’s annual report.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are proud to support our hardworking firefighters and the volunteers across both the Fire Rescue Victoria service and the CFA. I note one of the observations, that the FRV’s budget was going to overtime. I reckon firefighters who work overtime deserve to get paid for it. I think firefighters deserve better than they are getting from the member for Gippsland South, although it is entirely consistent with what they have got from the member for Berwick on previous occasions in this place, who does not support firefighters in this state.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Without wanting to anticipate debate, and taking on board your advice, I say this: we have just celebrated and had a fabulous event, thanks to our wonderful Presiding Officers, in Queen’s Hall, where we honoured the women of our CFA, of our fire services, of our ambulance services and from our SES services as well. This year is the 50th anniversary of the State Emergency Service, and we think they deserve our support as well.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, we equally wholeheartedly support the work of our emergency services volunteers, but, Speaker –

The SPEAKER: Order! I ask you to be succinct in your point of order, Manager of Opposition Business. It is not an opportunity to make a statement.

Bridget Vallence: The Premier is defying your ruling.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: I appreciate the member for Evelyn’s intervention in this debate, because I look forward to her support for the bill that I am not allowed to anticipate the debate of. If the member for Evelyn genuinely wholeheartedly supports the State Emergency Service, then come on board and support measures that will provide the funding that they need. The member for Gippsland South referred to the pressures on families. One of the pressures on families in an emergency is having trees through their roofs or trees falling on cars. That does come at great cost. Do you know who turns up? The SES volunteers turn up, and we reckon they deserve our support. The member for Evelyn reckons they deserve our support, and I hope those opposite support us in these measures.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Geelong can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Geelong withdrew from chamber.

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:34): Trent is a farmer from Gippsland and a CFA volunteer. Under Labor’s punitive new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund tax grab, Trent’s fire services bill will rise by a whopping 180 per cent. Why do Trent and many Victorians like him have to pay a 180 per cent increase in their fire levy because Labor cannot manage money?

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, one would expect that the Leader of the Nationals should know that it is not appropriate to ask a question that anticipates debate about a bill that has been introduced into this chamber.

Danny O’BRIEN: On the point of order, Speaker, page 30 of Rulings from the Chair has a ruling from Speaker Maddigan twice and Speaker Brooks, which states that questions and responses –

Members interjecting.

Danny O’BRIEN: Are you okay? You really do not want to talk about tax increases, do you?

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Nationals, through the Chair, or I will sit you down.

Danny O’BRIEN: It states:

… questions and responses may canvass broad policy issues but cannot refer to the detail of the bill.

The question did not refer to any detail of the bill. This detail is already on the government’s website.

The SPEAKER: I will allow the question. I remind the Premier in her answer not to anticipate debate.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:36): Given the question was rather specific, I will do my best to be consistent with Rulings from the Chair regarding speaking generally in terms of the issue that has been raised. In speaking generally about the issue that has been raised by the member for Gippsland South, the member for Gippsland South, I would assume, understands that CFA volunteers are being exempt from these arrangements. Of course I cannot go into specific terms, member for Gippsland South, because I would be offending the Speaker’s ruling. In terms of being relevant –

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of debating – and I am only here to assist you and the Premier in answering –

The SPEAKER: I appreciate your assistance, Leader of the Nationals, but if you have a point of order, state your point of order succinctly.

Danny O’Brien: The point of order is that in the budget update there is a $611 million increase and $6 million for the exemption for CFA volunteers.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, Leader of the Nationals.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are proud to be supporting our emergency services, our volunteers, and we want to do that. The member for Evelyn wants to join us in this effort as well. Whether the member for Gippsland South does will be a matter for him when this bill does come before the house for debate.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It is very narrow, asking why a CFA volunteer would have to pay a 100 per cent increase in their fire services levy.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Manager of Opposition Business not to repeat the question in her points of order. The Premier was being relevant to the question. Without anticipating debate, the Premier to continue.

Jacinta ALLAN: Speaker, I will follow your advice to speak generally on a bill that is about supporting our fire services and our emergency services volunteers, who support us in some of the most difficult sets of circumstances.