By Lauren Henry,
at Parliament House

Representatives from across the Wimmera and Grampians were front and centre at a protest against the State Government’s Emergency Services Volunteers Fund in front of Parliament House in Melbourne yesterday.

Thousands of people and 100 Country Fire Authority fire trucks – mostly from across regional Victoria – faced long traffic delays and cancelled train services to reach Spring Street on the day the government handed down the State Budget.

Led by Rupanyup farmer Andrew Weidemann, the rally featured key speakers Ararat Mayor Jo Armstrong, Kaniva farmer John Bennett, Westmere Fire Brigades group officer and Willaura farmer Pat Millear, and Ararat farmer Rob Armstrong. It also had a strong presence from the CFA with hundreds in firefighting gear, some leaving it on the steps of Parliament, and the rally co-led by United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall.

There was no sign of any Labor members or the cross-bench MPs –four Greens MPs, two Cannabis Party members, and an Animal Justice Party MP – who voted on Thursday to pass the legislation to make the fund a reality for all Victorians.

But Opposition leader Brad Battin announced a Liberal-National government, if elected, would ‘scrap the tax’. 

“Labor has failed to respect our CFA and SES volunteers. Their funding model is based on deception, and we will scrap it,” Mr Battin said.

The new fund has for months attracted widespread and unprecedented criticism across regional Victoria from farmers, CFA volunteers and councillors, who were yesterday joined by business owners and members of the general public.

More than 250 CFA brigades had marked themselves ‘offline’ since Friday, as volunteers indicated they would only respond to local emergencies, sending a clear disapproval of the new levy to the government.

Yesterday’s major protest followed demonstrations in Spring Street and at Premier Jacinta Allan’s Bendigo office in the past fortnight.

While farmers in the drought-declared local government areas of Ararat, West Wimmera, Northern Grampians and Horsham will get a reprieve on the new fund in the next financial year, all other farmers face a 150 per cent increase from the previous Fire Services Property Levy.

CFA and SES volunteers will be eligible for a partial rebate, estimated to equate to a 16 per cent reduction, but only on their primary place of residence. Meanwhile residential and commercial ratepayers face about a 100 per cent increase, and industrial properties will increase by 64 per cent.

The fund, which will replace the Fire Services Levy from July 1, put $1.6-billion in revenue into this year’s State Budget announced yesterday.

Mr Bennett’s speech, warmly welcomed by the crowd, said there was an ‘enormous amount’ of political spin by Labor about the amount that farmers would pay and the rebates.

“ Volunteering and co-operation are deeply embedded in farming communities. This unjust tax threatens to unwind that spirit of co-operation,” he said.

“Basically the government is asking us to pay an unjust tax, a disproportionate amount of unfair tax to actually do a job that we’re currently doing for nothing.

“All the emergencies that we turn up for are on public land in our region, on a railway line, on a road, or a state forest and national park. 

“A recent fire in our district burned 90,000 hectares of a national park due to state mismanagement.

“ The economic logic of this policy is deeply flawed and the social justice component is completely missing.”

National Farmers Federation and Murra Warra farmer David Jochinke, also a CFA volunteer who attended the protest, said every Victorian was going to feel the effects of the new tax – for generations to come.

“ I don’t think you can get a more stupid idea taxing the people who volunteer to do your work, let alone using it to do the shortfall of your budget deficit,” Mr Jochinke said.

“ I’ve had plenty of conversations with both CFA members in my own ranks, let alone the VFF, who’s the state lead on this, and Andrew Weidemann who has done a fantastic job at the local level – it’s been a real team effort in that sense, and we (NFF) are here to support.

“Financially this is going to be absolutely crippling for some businesses. 

“The Wimmera as a whole, we are a community that gives a lot to volunteering. Our region prides itself in what it does for the community and to take it to the effect of having a bus come down and a whole train-load, essentially from our region, demonstrates that we’ve had a gutful and we’re not going to put up with it.”

The government was forced into late consultation with the Victorian Farmers Federation, councils, and emergency services last week, resulting in a slight reduction to the variable rates for primary producers; a guarantee in legislation that 95 per cent of VICSES and CFA funding and 90 per cent of Fire Rescue Victoria’s annual funding will come from the ESV fund; as well as more transparency on annual reporting and committing to a $4-million implementation package for councils, including funding for Municipal Association of Victoria.

Treasurer Jaclyn Symes said through the ESVF, the government would invest $110-million to deliver a rolling fleet replacement program for VICSES and the CFA, including brigades at Lubeck, Goroke, and Crowlands who will also be among the first recipients of new medium tankers.

“These changes will give emergency services the funding and equipment they need as they face natural disasters, which are happening more often and becoming more destructive,” she said.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking, also a speaker at the protest, said the VFF was ‘deeply disappointed’ with the fund and remained ‘gravely concerned about the impact’ the levy would have on farmers, already under significant pressure from drought conditions and broader economic challenges.

“The sheer reality is that this levy will create a crippling financial burden to farmers,” he said.

“This decision shows a clear disconnect between our State Government and the day-to-day realities faced by those on the land.

“It almost feels like the worse this drought gets, the harder the government pushes to take more from farmers.”

CFA acting chief officer Garry Cook said the CFA respected volunteers’ rights to engage in matters relevant to their local communities.

“We are continuing to monitor the situation but want to reassure the community that we have operating procedures in place to ensure that when brigades are offline we can respond for neighbouring brigades to protect communities or put in place alternative arrangements,” he said. 

“CFA acknowledges that our volunteers and brigades, many of whom are from rural communities, have had a long summer of fire activity and are facing a lot of pressure as a result of drought, which is impacting their livelihoods.”

Wimmera councils, including Ararat, West Wimmera and Yarriambiack, voiced their disapproval of the new levy – which they will be responsible for collecting through the rates system.

In a formal letter to the Premier and Minister for Local Government, West Wimmera Shire Council demanded a full review of the fund collection process.

“We see this as an attack on the very volunteers who do what they do because they care for their communities. This comes from a government that clearly does not care,” Mayor Tim Meyer, who attended yesterday’s protest, said.

Ararat Rural City Council expressed its disappointment and concern, firmly advocating against the fund, which they believe will have a significant impact on the Ararat municipality as well as on the broader economy.

Mayor Jo Armstrong described the levy as ‘a complete travesty for our community’.

“It will impact every single resident, from our farmers and those on fixed incomes to local businesses, inevitably causing significant mental and financial hardship and further straining our local economy,” she said. 

“We stand united with our community and will relentlessly advocate against this profoundly unjust and damaging impost.”

For mental health support, people can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au; and for financial assistance and wellbeing support, the Rural Financial Counselling Service can be reached at 1300 735 578 or via wswrcs.com.au.

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