Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Northern Victoria Region

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (13:10): (1594) My question is to the Treasurer on behalf of a long-serving CFA volunteer from Springfield who has dedicated over 15 years to protecting his community and raising funds for our vital emergency services. He, like many Victorians, is deeply concerned about the new emergency services tax, which effectively acts as a land tax and unfairly targets regional landholders. His land tax has already doubled, and this new levy adds further financial strain, especially for those working the land in drought conditions. I note the petition sponsored by Joe McCracken, which calls on the government to immediately cease the introduction of this new tax, has already gained nearly 37,000 signatures. It calls on the government to retain the fire services property levy and commit to a genuine consultation process to develop a fairer way of funding Victorian emergency services. Treasurer, given the burden of this new tax on every household and business and landholder in Victoria and noting concerns raised by emergency services and local councils across the state, will the government scrap this unfair tax? I note the concerns from your local members as well.