Thursday, 15 May 2025

Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:11): My question is to the Premier. Danny is a farmer from Clunes. He is facing a deepening drought, falling stock prices and now a $4000 increase in the bill he must pay under Labor’s emergency services tax. Why must Danny and millions of Victorians like him pay the price because Labor cannot manage money?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:12): I strongly disagree with Danny, the Leader of the National Party, in his characterisation in that question. We have invested strongly in rural and regional Victorians. We have invested strongly in our emergency services, and we will continue to do so. And the reason why we need to bring more investment into our emergency services is because more is being asked of our emergency services – more than ever before. The frequency of the fires and the floods and the storms is seeing more and more demand being put on our emergency services. If I remember correctly, over this summer period the communities around Clunes were also subjected to fire risk as a result of fire in that landscape over that summer period, putting their properties at risk, putting their livelihoods at risk, which is why we need to invest in our emergency services.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of debating, the Premier seems to misunderstand that the concern from people like Danny is not about supporting the emergency services; it is why a whole lot of government agencies are now being moved across to this levy, and Victorians are double taxed for them.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier was not debating the question. The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: The Leader of the National Party also referenced the difficult experiences that are being felt by our primary producers in many parts of regional Victoria at the moment as a consequence of drought conditions – significantly less rainfall on average. That is really putting pressure on our farmers and primary producers, which is why the Minister for Agriculture and I –

Jade Benham interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Mildura!

Jacinta ALLAN: will have more to say soon about the support we are going to provide to farmers and primary producers. I remember a different time, though.

Annabelle Cleeland interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Euroa!

Jacinta ALLAN: I remember a different time for the community of Clunes. I remember a time when the community of Clunes had their train line closed down by the National Party. I remember a very different time.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Members will be removed without warning.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. Danny from Clunes is being slugged additional tax, and I ask you to ask the Premier to come back to the very narrow question.

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

Jacinta ALLAN: For communities like Clunes, they know that it is Labor governments that will invest in them – invest in their schools, invest in their hospitals. And I will tell you what we also have to do: we have to reopen those train lines that the National Party closed down.

Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:15): Labor’s new tax will slug every home owner in the state, every renter, every business owner and every farmer extra on what they pay now. The tax is opposed by farmers, volunteers, every council in the state and career firefighters, among others. Why won’t the government listen to Victorians and scrap this tax?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:15): As is so typical from the National Party and the Liberal Party, that question is littered with deceit and deception, and I will go through the ways.

Kim O’Keeffe interjected.

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

Member for Shepparton withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN: This levy is a levy that has existed since 2012. To say otherwise is just deceptive.

Danny O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, on the question of relevance, if the Premier thinks this has been there since 2012, why are we debating new legislation for it?

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: The Leader of the National Party asked about listening to Victorians. Well, we have. That is why we are making sure the emergency services, like the SES who protect us in those difficult circumstances, are being provided with the support that they need.

Jade Benham interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Mildura, this is your second warning.

Jacinta ALLAN: I say this: what is the alternative proposition being put by the Liberal and National parties if they oppose this position?