Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (22:11): (1334) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is an exemption for all volunteer emergency services units from the emergency services and volunteers tax. The Allan Labor government has once again shown its disregard for the backbone of our regional communities: our amazing, selfless volunteers. It is even taxing the stations they operate out of. Volunteers give their time, energy and expertise to respond to emergencies, often in the most dangerous and demanding conditions. The Portland SES unit received a tax notice recently, including $311.77 in charges for the new tax. This tax, imposed by the Allan Labor government, targets not-for-profit organisations like the SES, penalising them for simply existing and serving the public. The finance officer for the unit, Wendy McFarlane, wrote to me and said:

I was extremely disappointed, not surprised, to receive the Portland SES Unit’s rates notice and find the ESVF tax was applied …

But more disappointed after investigation to find we are not exempt.

Our volunteers can apply on their own properties but the unit itself, as a not-for-profit organisation, cannot on its own headquarters!

The Portland SES unit, like so many across Victoria, operates solely to protect and serve the community. So let us get this straight. The government are taxing volunteer organisations with the new tax, taking money from volunteer organisations that had to fundraise to get it, just to give it back to them to operate. How did no-one in the room see the absurdity of this? It is not just disappointing, it is a glaring example of just how out of touch our Labor government has become.

Our SES volunteers are not paid. They are farmers, small business owners, tradespeople and parents who drop everything, often in the middle of the night, to respond to emergencies. Whether it is a flood, fire, storm or road trauma, they show up without hesitation, asking for nothing in return. It is a slap in the face to every volunteer who has ever missed a harvest, closed down their shop or left their children at home to serve their communities. This tax sends a chilling message that even our most selfless acts are subject to government revenue. And now, instead of supporting them, Labor is taxing them.