Thursday, 14 August 2025

Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:16): (1009) My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, across the state today Victorians are receiving their council rates notices with a nasty new surprise: your big, fat new so-called Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy. One property in Mitchell shire paid $2633 in their fire services levy last year. Their emergency services fund tax this year is $4251, an increase of $1618, up 61.4 per cent. How is it fair, Treasurer, that this big new tax is massively jacked up at a time that Victorians are in a cost-of-living crisis?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:17): Thank you for the opportunity to start by acknowledging the amazing contribution and hard work of our emergency services workers and volunteers right around the state. Mr Davis, we have had many a conversation in this chamber about the importance of ensuring that emergency services are well equipped and have a sustainable funding model to enable them to respond to more frequent and more severe natural disasters that are impacting communities right around. I am also a resident of Mitchell shire, and obviously they were impacted by the 2022 floods quite significantly. I can say the response to and recovery effort for the 2022 floods, which impacted three to four LGAs, was $2.5 billion. What we want to do is make sure that now and into the future any communities that are impacted by natural disasters can receive a response such as that – a response that pays for councils to clean up, pays for emergency accommodation for people, helps people rebuild and helps the emergency services have the equipment they need to continue to do what they do best.

From the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund every single dollar raised goes back into our emergency services. That is new trucks. We have announced 10 new trucks for the CFA and 10 new trucks for the SES. The VESEP grants have just opened. They have doubled this year. That is available for all units and volunteer brigades to request additional funding for the vital equipment that they have chosen for their particular brigades. Yes, this is an increase in people’s rates notices. I know people are getting their rates notices this week; I got mine this week, which would explain why. Mitchell shire rates have gone out this week. The average increases for households are small. The average increases for commercial businesses are around $9.80 a week, which would probably be the case study that you have put to me, Mr Davis. But it is not appropriate for me to comment on specific cases, particularly when I have not been provided with all of the details or any particulars.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:20): Let them eat cake. Treasurer, you have enlisted local councils to collect this massively increased state levy. Will you confirm that it is a fact that in some council areas the state tax component for some ratepayers will reach a third of the overall bill that ratepayers face on their rates notice?

The PRESIDENT: Can you repeat that question, Mr Davis, just the last bit?

David DAVIS: Isn’t it a fact, Treasurer, that in some council areas the state tax component will reach a third of the overall bill that ratepayers face on their rates notice?

The PRESIDENT: I am just wondering how the minister would know what councils are charging as a percentage of –

David DAVIS: She might inquire. She has enlisted them to actually collect the rates.

The PRESIDENT: I am just concerned that you are asking a question in an area that she has not got responsibility for.

David DAVIS: In this case I am quoting a specific example, but this is actually wider. In some cases the share of the bill is a third of what is on the overall rates notice. Two-thirds is council charges and one-third is the minister’s big new levy, so I am wanting her to confirm to the chamber and the community that in some cases a third of the bill is her new fat state levy.

Sonja Terpstra: On a point of order, President, that was not a point of order, it was debating, so that should be ruled out of order. It is not a point of order, it is debate.

The PRESIDENT: I actually genuinely want to flesh out Mr Davis’s rationale, and where I was coming from is: how would you expect a minister who does not have responsibility for council rates to be able to respond?

David DAVIS: When the bill was going through the chamber, the Treasurer and I and others discussed the fact that the Treasurer had met with councils and representatives of councils. It surely is material – the impact on the overall bill.

Ryan Batchelor: Rates are different on different properties.

David DAVIS: Yes, they are – correct. But you would think you would engage with that. You would think when you met with councils, you would talk about the fact that it is a large share of the bill. We saw last night on the 7.30 report a councillor –

The PRESIDENT: I fully respect that everyone has the right to call points of order. I still have a concern. But I know Minister Symes is always very helpful to the chamber, so I might ask her to answer as she sees fit within her responsibilities under the general orders.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:23): Mr Davis, as I believe you are aware, the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund is levied based on the characterisation or the category of property and the value of property, so it is a little difficult for me to provide you with a specific answer in a generalised term. However, the way you have just characterised your question has not been put to me by any council.