General News
4 April, 2025
Benefit of new emergency services fund questioned amid rising ratepayer costs
Concerns have been raised how much the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund will help local brigades.
Confusion among local fire brigades has left them questioning what proposed tax changes will mean for them as the legislation is considered by government.
The Victorian Government announced last year the Fire Services Levy would be changed under a new name: Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF).
The new changes aim to provide more funding for emergency services including the CFA.
It is understood, however, that commercial and residential ratepayers will be paying double while farmers almost triple what they did prior.
Speaking in December last year, the CFA said the ESVF addresses a lack of resources in an environment where emergency services are responding to “increasing and overlapping natural disasters”.
However, CFA Goldfields Group Officer Peter Higgins said a lack of clarity has led to confusion among local volunteers.
“We are not clear about what exempts us from [the ESVF],” he said.
While State Government has said active volunteers and life members won’t have to pay the ESVF on their primary residence, Mr Higgins is concerned bureaucracy may get in the way.
“It’s okay for the government to come out and say we’re going to be exempt but there’s a lot of bits and pieces involved before we become exempt,” he said.
The Victorian Government has stated that further details on the exemption are to come following consultation with affected organisations.
There is also confusion about how the ESVF will be divided among emergency services.
“If the fire levy goes to where it should be, great. But no-one has been clear on where it’s going. There’s so many rumours floating around at the moment but for me, as group officer of 10 fire brigades, I want them to come home safe in good trucks, good equipment, good protective clothing,” he said.
Thus far the Victorian Government have said that ESVF will fund up to 87.5 percent of Fire Rescue Victoria’s budget, and up to 95 percent of CFA’s budget.
They have also said the fund will cover up to 95 percent of the following budgets:
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES)
Triple Zero Victoria
State Control Centre
Emergency Recovery Victoria
Emergency Management Victoria
Emergency Alert Program
Emergency Management Operational Communication Program
Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) and its support functions within DEECA
However, Mr Higgins is still concerned considering the cost of equipment.
He said that in the Goldfields alone four of their trucks are 30 years old or more. He believes they should have been replaced after 25 years.
Mr Higgins explained a 4x4 Heavy Tanker costs up to $750,000.
“It’s a great truck but they can’t build enough of them. They haven’t got money,” he said.
Given the need for new equipment he wonders what that will tangibly look like.
“How many trucks are [they] building? We all want them,” he said.
On his shopping list of what he hopes the ESVF provides local brigades and the community is a group forward command vehicle which he said costs $165,000.
“We’re one of the only groups that don’t [have one],” he said.
While the majority of local brigades protecting farms Mr Higgins is concerned how this will look if the changes aren’t reflected with more funding locally.
“If the local farmer has to pay a load of money for a fire levy and doesn’t see any results … he’s gonna come hunting,” he said.
The fund, believed to be hitting farmers the hardest, has been labelled “dreadfully unfair” by Rural Councils Victoria (RCV) chair Rob Amos.
“This new levy will hit Victorian farmers the hardest. How does that make any sense after years of drought and amid a cost-of-living crisis,” Cr Amos said.
“At the very least this new tax burden should be shared equally among all Victorian landholders.”
RCV also claims that the Victorian Government refuses to guarantee that money raised by the levy will only be spent locally.
“There’s still time for the Victorian Government to acknowledge the inequities and unforeseen consequences of this new levy and make changes,” RCV said.
Mr Higgins said that to date the community has been a massive supporter for local fire brigades.
“The community needs to be commended. Some of the fundraising some of these brigades do, it is phenomenal,” he said.
“They’re my heroes ... it puts a lump in my throat.”
However he’s concerned that instead of “patting them on the back” they’re going to be paying more in a cost-of-living crisis.
The ESVF, expected to come in to effect July 1, was expected to go to a vote in the Legislative Council yesterday.
If made law, pensioners, veterans and single farm enterprises are expected to continue to receive concessions while the ESVF will be collected through local councils.