Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund
Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:32): (802) My question is for the Treasurer. While Minister for Emergency Services you oversaw the introduction of the new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy, which will increase the financial strain on ratepayers during a cost-of-living crisis, particularly in rural and regional communities. Now as Treasurer you expect local government to bear a significant administrative and financial burden, collecting the funds to prop up your budget. As one regional mayor wrote to me, the levy is effectively a state-imposed tax disguised as a local charge. Why should local councils be expected to be the unpaid tax collectors and administrators of a state government tax?
Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:33): I thank Mrs McArthur for her question. I will not spend too much time correcting the errors in it, Mrs McArthur, but first of all it has not been introduced yet, and it would be the Treasurer’s responsibility for introducing the legislation, not the Minister for Emergency Services. I talked about the levy because of the benefit for emergency services in my former role as the Minister for Emergency Services, because this levy is about supporting our frontline response to the increased frequency and seriousness of natural disasters for the community.
Off the back of a really significant fire season, SES have responded to more calls than ever before, and they are the ones that have certainly advocated for sustainable funding measures, which is what we are delivering in the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. As many people would be aware, the current fire services property levy is already collected by local governments, so it would be a small change in relation to that, because they already have the infrastructure to ensure that people are notified of their obligations as a home owner to contribute to this fund via their rates notices. So yes, I accept that no-one likes paying more for things – I get it – but when you want to rely on a response, when you want a fire truck to rock up to your house, when you want a tarp on your roof because a tree has fallen on it, people are very grateful for the emergency services response that they receive.
A member interjected.
Jaclyn SYMES: I will take you up on your interjection. People expect the phone to be answered when they call 000, and this is what is happening with constant investment and support for our emergency services. The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund is going to ensure that the responses remain up to date and to the standard that Victorians expect. We also have an ongoing measure to respond to the needs of our volunteers – including a rolling pipeline of new investment for trucks, infrastructure and equipment – to do what they do best, and that is respond to the needs of the Victorian community at their very worst.
Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:35): I am so pleased, Minister, you have gone to the needs of volunteers, because rural and regional communities disproportionately supply the volunteers required to support the emergency services. They also disproportionately bear the brunt of this tax, some paying a 400 per cent increase with the levy. Farmers face at least a 70 per cent hike in their tax. One rural brigade in my electorate have done the sums. The rates their shire will have to collect are $2 million for their brigade area alone, yet they still have a 32-year-old truck. So why is the money not being spent on desperately needed frontline services when the people who are paying this tax are paying a disproportionate amount?
Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:36): Mrs McArthur, there is a little bit in that. First of all, in relation to the impact on farmers, it does remain significantly lower than commercial and industrial properties. What we did was listen to the farmers that are fighting fires. I know many of them; I live in the region. What they wanted was an acknowledgement of the work they do in turning out, and in doing that we have responded by proposing an exemption to active members and volunteers. Active volunteers and life members of brigades and units of the SES and CFA will be exempt from the levy, Mrs McArthur. I am not sure if you picked that up, because it did not sound like you did in your question. As I indicated in my previous answer, the collection of this fund will go to vital equipment such as trucks.