Wednesday, 3 December 2025

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:47): I rise today to address the Victoria State Emergency Service’s operating grant income as outlined in the 2024–25 annual report. This report demonstrates that the government has absolutely no respect for our emergency services workers or volunteers. I hear all this talk about the money that will be going to the emergency services through this levy, and I know for a fact that there will be pressure on the government – if it gives this money to any of these services – to give it to Fire Rescue Victoria over and above the SES and the CFA, who are in many cases operating with old vehicles, particularly the CFA.

Without consultation or consent the Allan Labor government have imposed a $3 billion emergency services tax on volunteers, farmers, small businesses and home owners, claiming that it is to properly fund the emergency services. But we have also learned that they slashed $10 million from the SES operating grant income in the previous financial year. The SES engaged in 342,000 hours of operational activity, making 2024–25 the fourth-busiest financial year on record. The Frankston unit, which operates partly in my region, was the second-busiest unit in the entire state, fielding 1167 requests for assistance. I was proud to attend and stand alongside many of the SES Frankston volunteers at a Remembrance Day service at the RSL last month. They are incredible people from all walks of life. They are our SES volunteers, and they give up countless hours of their own time, often at their own personal cost, to rescue Victorians facing car accidents and natural disasters, as do the CFA. And it is more difficult for these people working in their own local area, because they live in the area and they very often know the people that have been in these accidents. Sadly, I have not heard a word from the member for Frankston Paul Edbrooke about this cut. In fact I understand he is a former firefighter himself, so I would hope that he would put his politics aside and call out the minister presiding over this mess.

In the previous financial year 51 per cent of the SES requests for assistance occurred in the summer period. That is no surprise given that the temperature rises have been happening and people travel on holidays and so forth. But on Monday the summer period commenced, so volunteers require an assurance from the government that this cut will not occur again in the current financial year. We need more investment in modern vehicles. I note that when I was looking around and seeing how all this money had been cut – and Labor members were talking about how they have given money to emergency services – well, I can say the Skye CFA have not received a replacement for their old truck and their old gear. We need a lot more investment in modern vehicles, flood rescue gear and community education programs which are tailored to our diverse population. Meanwhile all we see here is that Labor continues to ignore our volunteers.

My Liberal and National colleagues are going to continue to stand with them. We know the emergency services need the funding, and it is simply not good enough to have a levy that is being charged with a whole lot of promises when you can go out to any CFA station across the regional areas and in parts of my region in the south-east, and you will find that there are people operating with very old trucks. I myself have climbed into the back of one that is open. How on earth can we have open trucks used in fire areas where people sit on the back with absolutely no covering? It is not good enough. It is not good enough to use words and to simply say that we are providing this funding to help them, and then we see the slashes, according to the reports, in the funding. It is simply not good enough. We want to have more accountability, more transparency and more support for our emergency services.