Thursday, 15 May 2025

Western Victoria Region

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:44): My question for the Treasurer concerns the shamefully misnamed Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. As we have heard this morning, it has very little to do with funding volunteers. In fact it is more about taxing volunteers, and most of the hiked taxes on agriculture – a 189 per cent increase, no less – will effectively be general revenue, funding metropolitan services and bureaucracies. In my electorate Moyne Shire Council will face one of the highest average rises. They report primary producers will face a 170 per cent increase, rural residential landholders a 34 per cent increase and commercial operators a 74 per cent hike. This translates to an additional $5.9 million extracted from the Moyne shire alone. Given the prolonged drought conditions in Moyne and neighbouring municipalities like Corangamite, how does the government justify imposing such disproportionate increases on rural areas, as the revenue will largely be spent on general government spending? Treasurer, what steps will you take?