Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:27): (921) My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, I refer to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy and to the issue of partial payment by a struggling ratepayer and whether this is allocated proportionally to both council rates and the levy as per the fire services property levy precedent. The fact is your new tax will cost local councils serious money. They already bear significant time and effort in collection as well as the public odium for a state-imposed tax that does not benefit them. It is inevitable that the overall rates arrears will increase, given the scale of the massive new tax. Treasurer, will any payment be allocated proportionally, and if so, how will the government compensate blameless councils for the predictable increase in rates arrears?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:28): Thank you, Mrs McArthur, although there are a few concerns I have with the way you have characterised your question. Of course we went through a lot of these issues in the committee stage of the bill, and the intention and purpose of the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund could not be clearer. It is about ensuring that our emergency services volunteers and personnel are supported with a sustainable funding model now and into the future to respond to the continued frequency and devastation that we are seeing as a result of climate change and of natural disasters.

When it comes to the implementation of the changes, as I have previously outlined, we will be working with councils, we are working with the Municipal Association of Victoria and we have provided funding in relation to any of the administrative consequences. These are making sure that councils can be well equipped to not only deal with any changes in what is an existing practice – obviously this is just building on what has existed for some time – but there will also be clear information about the exemptions. Remember, we have gone through in great detail that if you are a volunteer with SES or CFA, you are exempted from having to pay the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund.

There are also, as we have also put, a number of considerations for those that are impacted by drought. So there is a lot of information going out; I accept that. There is a lot of misinformation. We are making sure all of the information is getting out there. I would be happy to give particularly electorate officers some information in relation to this. The number one query that is coming through the phones in my office is whether you are exempt or not if you are a volunteer. Making sure that everybody knows that that is part of the changes that we have made is something that I think is very important.

Mrs McArthur, ongoing conversations with councils is something that I committed to. It is funded, and implementation issues will be worked out as the changes come into place.

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:31): The amount you allocated for administration worked out to about $5000 per council. That will not even make the slightest bit of difference. There are questions about whether the government’s implementation package for the tax will fully cover councils’ debt recovery costs given the precedent of councils bearing these expenses under the more modest fire services property levy. The Yarriambiack shire already has to pursue 8 per cent of properties for rates arrears via debt collection or forced sale of properties. I therefore ask: how much have you set aside to cover councils’ expenses for doing this unpopular, unpleasant and in some cases heartbreaking recovery work for you?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:31): Mrs McArthur, I have already said that $4 million has been allocated as an initial amount in relation to work with MAV councils. Councils already receive money from the SRO for administration of the existing fire services property levy – that is around $75,000 already. The $4 million is in addition to that. You talk about Yarriambiack council, right? So in terms of the vast majority of residents in Yarriambiack who own their property and would receive an updated notice in relation to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, it is about $1.25 a week for most of the residential houses in Yarriambiack. That is what is going to be asked of home owners. It is an investment in ensuring that emergency services can respond to that community – (Time expired)