Nationals Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy with Nationals Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad.
The Victorian Government’s passing of its controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund bill through parliament last week has ignited a storm of backlash from critics.
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Following the passing of the legislation in a late-night sitting of parliament, state Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy slammed what he saw as the Victorian Government’s “disgraceful attack” on rural communities.
“Farmers across the Ovens Valley are in survival mode. They are scraping together every last cent to truck in hay and grain just to keep their animals alive in the face of a worsening drought,” he said.
“And what does Labor do? They slug them with a tax hike of up to 150 per cent.”
The announcement came in December last year that the government would be replacing the Fire Services Property Levy with the ESVF from July 1.
The Fire Services Property Amendment (Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund) Bill 2025 is now awaiting royal assent before it becomes law.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, May 9, Victorian Treasurer andstate Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said she had been asked by regional communities about the money raised from the ESVF going back into their communities.
“Every cent will go back to emergency services. What is important is there’ll be a range of benefits for country areas. As we know, country areas are impacted by natural disasters at a greater proportion than metropolitan Melbourne,” she said.
“More money would be raised from metropolitan areas — significantly more — because the levy applies to all individual properties. So the levy percentage would be raised much more by metropolitan Melbourne. But obviously, we know that country areas, particularly primary producers, are impacted by natural disasters quite regularly.
“I have been through a flood myself. I have visited fire- and flood- and storm-impacted regions, and, more often than not, they’re in country Victoria. So it is our CFA and our SES brigades that are asking for greater training, greater equipment and particularly new vehicles. As part of the emergency services volunteers fund, they will be dedicated rolling stock.”
Victoria Treasurer Jaclyn Symes says there will be a range of benefits for country areas from the new levy. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)
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JOEL CARRETT
On Thursday, May 15, the government confirmed after discussions with councils, emergency services and the Victorian Farmers Federation that it would provide a rebate on the levy for eligible CFA and VICSES volunteers.
It also announced it would reduce the variable rate for primary production land from 83c per $1000 capital improved value to 71.8c per $1000 CIV.
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