Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund

Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (10:13): I want to acknowledge the thousands of people who turned up on the steps of Parliament last Tuesday in protest of the new emergency and fire services and volunteers tax. The rally saw CFA volunteers, farmers, businesspeople and many Victorians all impacted by this cruel tax – all of which are being ignored. This tax is nothing but a cruel cash grab to fill Labor’s financial black hole. The Premier continues to turn her back on the regions and spruiks this tax as a positive for the CFA volunteers. Perhaps the Premier needed to look out the window and actually see what was going on at last week’s rally or come and talk to the volunteers, farmers and businesses to get a full understanding of how this appalling decision will affect their lives and every Victorian who is going to be impacted. It was incredible to see the sea of CFA volunteers and the line-up of fire trucks on Spring Street. They were there to send a message loud and clear that this is an appalling tax and it is wrong.

The farmers are in the middle of a drought and already struggling to make ends meet, yet they took the time out of their busy lives, many travelling hours, to have their voices heard. They are suffering and their mental health is suffering, and instead of taking more from our farmers, this government should be supporting them in their time of need. Many have said they simply cannot afford a 150 per cent increase, and this is the final straw for many who will have to walk away. Farmers Margo and Graeme’s exact words were that ‘The cost of water and delivery takes priority over food some weeks’, and at the moment they are also buying household water. Where does the government think they are going to find this extra money that they simply do not have? People are already struggling to pay their bills. A Liberal and Nationals government will scrap this tax.