Tuesday, 3 February 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (17:36): (1189) My question is to the Treasurer. The Country Fire Authority’s annual reports reveal that grants funding was cut by your government each and every year, from $351.6 million in 2020–21 to $339.5 million in 2023–24. On Sunday 18 January the government, through Premier Allan, said:

There has been no cut to funding for the CFA, it has only increased year-on-year … to say otherwise is false …

Does the Treasurer acknowledge that $339.5 million is in fact $12.1 million less than $351.6 million?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (17:37): I thank Mrs McArthur for her question. At the outset I would confirm that the Premier’s statements are entirely accurate, entirely true, and that funding for the CFA has increased year in, year out under this government.

What you failed to acknowledge, Mrs McArthur, is that grants funding is merely one line in several lines in a totality of funding for the CFA. In relation to grants funding, and I am stepping slightly outside of my remit of Treasurer, but because I have the fortunate honour of being the former Minister for Emergency Services I can assure you, Mrs McArthur – and I am happy to take you through this offline if you like – there are a number of funding streams that perhaps used to flow through the CFA direct to a funding recipient, whether it be FRV or Triple Zero Victoria, for example, which following fire services reform have gone directly through DJCS, which would mean that it is just accounted for in a different line. But if you follow and see the totality of funding, which is really the relevant amount of funding because we are talking about funding that is provided to our CFA, you will see that it has increased year in, year out. In addition, Mrs McArthur, I am sure you are familiar with the VESEP grant program, for example. These are also grant programs which are not accounted for under the line item that you have identified, which again I would point out in the last budget was doubled –

Bev McArthur: On a point of order, President, it is very simple: is $339.5 million $12 million less than $351.6 million? Can you add up?

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: The preamble was part of the question, and I think the minister addressed that right from the start of her answer. She rejected the premise of your question right from the start.

Bev McArthur: Is $339.5 million $12 million less than $351.6 million? Is it? That is the question.

The PRESIDENT: If that was a question on its own, then that would be put to a maths teacher. You have got to take into account the preamble and what is relative to the question.

Bev McArthur: The preamble was totally relevant.

The PRESIDENT: Well, that is good, because I am saying that the minister is being relevant to the preamble in her answer.

Jaclyn SYMES: Mrs McArthur, I would draw your attention to page 74 of the annual report. As I said, I am more than happy to take you offline to explain how the funding all adds up to more funding for the CFA each and every year. What the annual report clearly shows, what the CFA board clearly came out and confirmed, is that under a Labor government there is more funding for volunteers, more equipment on the ground, more investment in the station and trucks and particularly support for the volunteers that we rely on.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (17:40): Treasurer, you would need to speak to all those people on the fire front about that. The 2025–26 budget update shows the new emergency services tax will raise $1.55 billion in the 2025–26 financial year, $520 million more than under the fire services levy the previous year. How much of this half-a-billion-dollar tax increase will actually go to the CFA?

The PRESIDENT: I am concerned that is a completely different question. It has gone from a question around previous budgets to a supplementary on –

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, both questions are relevant, referencing the CFA budget, so they are completely in line and the same.

The PRESIDENT: I will call the Treasurer.

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (17:42): Mrs McArthur, as you know, every dollar raised by the ESVF goes to our emergency services. As I was the emergency services minister when we announced this, I was in a position to indicate that the ESVF would not only double VESEP grants but would allocate new trucks to areas, many of them in your electorate, and I think I have previously brought you through that. But what I can say is that because of more frequent, more severe and more damaging natural disasters the ESVF will raise money, with every single dollar going to those regions that are impacted. Everybody in Victoria knows how severe our natural disasters can be – as I said, every single dollar. I can confirm that will not be enough to fund all of our emergency services. We will continue to tap into consolidated revenue each and every year, which is something where I am not sure how you can defend an $11.1 billion black hole without having to cut funding from our emergency services.