Wednesday, 4 February 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (10:01): I move:

That this house:

(1)   notes the Country Fire Authority (CFA) board statement published on 12 January 2026;

(2)   in accordance with standing order 10.01, requires the Leader of the Government to table in the Council, within three weeks of the house agreeing to this resolution, the following documents held by the CFA, the Minister for Emergency Services, and/or the Department of Justice and Community Safety:

(a) all draft versions of the CFA board statement published on 12 January 2026;

(b) all emails, messages, memoranda, briefing notes, talking points and background material relating to the need for, content of, or approval of that statement;

(c) all minutes and agendas of CFA board meetings held between 1 July 2024 and 4 January 2026;

(d) in relation to the CFA 2024–25 report:

(i) all correspondence, including emails, letters, and text messages between any of the parties referred to in paragraph (2);

(ii) all draft versions of the report, including the final printer’s proof identified by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office on 14 January 2026 as containing ‘material inconsistencies’;

(iii) all correspondence to or from the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office;

(e) all correspondence relating to:

(i) the additional $11.6 million in supplementary funding for strategic bulk water supply and a statewide community engagement and awareness campaign;

(ii) funding requests for the 2025–26 financial year;

(iii) fleet replacement;

(iv) the fair value of services received or provided free of charge; and

(f) all internal budget submissions, bids and budget impact statements made by the CFA.

My motion requires the tabling of internal CFA and government documents relating to the CFA board statement of 12 January 2026, the 2024–25 annual report and a range of funding, budget and fleet replacement matters. It requires production of the emails, drafts, minutes and briefings that will show who knew what, when they knew it and what this government is trying to hide.

It is sad that this motion needs to be brought at all, but the fact is this government has forfeited the right to be trusted on CFA funding as on so many other issues. The Premier has had the nerve to claim and then repeat that CFA funding has increased year on year. We know by any reasonable use of language that this is simply not true. The CFA’s own annual reports show that funding fell each and every year from 2021–22 onwards, only rising again in the year before an election. That is not sustainable investment; that is political management. And even that selective funding story does not tell the full truth. Page 74 of the CFA’s last annual report shows a $50.5 million operating deficit, on top of a $74.5 million deficit in 2023–24. That is a $125 million loss in just two years – completely unsustainable for any emergency service, let alone one charged with protecting rural and regional Victoria from bushfire.

That deficit is being driven largely by depreciation, the slow collapse of an ageing fleet that the government refuses to properly fund. Around 800 CFA tankers are now past their intended service life, with more than 230 over 31 years old. They are not for display in museums; they remain frontline firefighting vehicles, still being sent into the most dangerous firegrounds in this country. In a major fire an ageing tanker means more breakdowns, slower response times and less water on the fireground when crews need it most. It also means volunteer firefighters are being sent into extreme, life-threatening conditions in vehicles that lack modern safety systems, reliability and crew protection, sometimes even functioning without air conditioning. That increases the risk not just to the volunteers on the tanker but to the families, farms and towns they are trying to protect.

The government talks endlessly about extra funding, but if CFA fleet replacement requests were actually being met, they would have nothing to fear from releasing the correspondence. If the money is flowing, the emails and budget bills will show it. If they are not, Victorians deserve to know. This is why we need these documents – because we cannot trust the government’s word. Nowhere was that clearer than in the Premier’s disgraceful attempt to smear the Auditor-General over this matter.

When the CFA’s 2024–25 annual report was delayed, the Premier told reporters:

The advice I have is some of that delay was the result of Auditor-General processes.

That was not a slip – it was a calculated attempt to shift blame. The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office was then, shockingly, forced to issue a detailed point-by-point public rebuttal to ‘correct the public record and maintain confidence in the timeliness of financial audits’. VAGO confirmed it had completed its work in November, signed off the audit opinion on 31 October and cleared the final printed report on 11 November, in line with the timetable requested by the CFA. It is extraordinary that the independent Auditor-General’s office felt compelled to publicly correct the Premier and defend its integrity. VAGO does not issue point-by-point rebuttals lightly, but it was forced to do so because the Premier sought to shift blame for the government’s failure to table the CFA annual report.

Members interjecting.

Bev McARTHUR: Hang on, hang on. When an independent integrity body has to come out publicly to defend itself, it is a serious indictment on the government’s willingness to mislead. This is a government lying its way to survival, holding on by its fingertips, one crisis at a time. That is why this house must insist on transparency. Yesterday we saw an utterly shameful series of responses to previous documents orders. Almost every one was refused, not on the basis of public interest, immunity or executive privilege but simply because departments said they had not had time – after a two-month parliamentary break and on orders that in many cases were already months old. This is a contempt of Parliament. It is contemptuous of accountability, and it cannot continue. We will not allow it to continue. We owe that transparency to every CFA volunteer – (Time expired)

The PRESIDENT: I remind members that there are lots of rulings that interjections are unruly, and there is kind of a weird thing where there are rulings that you have to interject from your place.

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (10:08): Yesterday we heard heartfelt contributions from all sides of this house on the devastation caused by this summer’s bushfires, on the loss of homes, farms, livestock, animals and sadly, one life, that of Max Hobson. My heart again goes out to Mr Hobson’s family and his community and indeed anybody that has been impacted by these vicious fires. I would like to take the time again to thank the bushfire-affected councils who took the time to meet with me, particularly to discuss the true devastation of these fires and their impact on their local communities and to reinforce that our government is standing with them and their communities every step of the way, with more support for those who have lost their homes and farmers that have lost livestock and, crucially, more mental health support for our communities.

The unfortunate reality is that seasons like this will only become worse as the impacts of climate change continue to set in. But, as stated time and time again by the Premier, this government stands with the CFA not just with words but with increases to their funding year on year. The CFA’s latest annual report backs this up. The report outlines the $26 million increase to total income to $477 million, and it also outlines a $21 million increase in grant income to over $361 million. That is more trucks, better stations and our firies equipped to face some really unpredictable conditions.

These numbers do not account for the whole scale of the government’s investment in the CFA. That is worth noting and having very publicly put here on the record. The government has in fact doubled funding to the volunteer emergency services equipment program, which now includes $22 million in funding this year alone – that is VESEP, as it is known locally. I have been lucky enough to see firsthand the difference this substantial increase in VESEP funding has made to CFAs across the state. Over the last couple of years I have had the good fortune of visiting a number of CFAs to see the impact of their VESEP grants and understand what it is that those particular brigades are looking for when it comes to government investment.

Recently this summer I visited Balnarring CFA, who will receive a new medium tanker, one that will make responding to fires easier in diverse environments but also prioritise the comfort of the dedicated firies from that brigade, and I thank them for hosting me recently. Much more in my memory is the time a couple of weeks ago when I had the privilege of visiting the Inverloch CFA, who also received their new field command vehicle through VESEP late last year before the bushfire season commenced. This new vehicle will assist their brigade in a range of functions, from volunteer training to incident response, across the growing Bass Coast. They also took the time to explain just how many people are now calling Bass Coast home and what that means for that brigade as well as all the new volunteers that are seeking to join the local brigades down there, so thank you to them for hosting us. Delivering new equipment and upgrades to our local brigades through VESEP is just one part of this government’s commitment to the CFA.

I will just say that there is an increase in funding. It is really hard to see, in the wake of such visceral tragedies, the ease with which those opposite have been willing to engage in misinformation. Communities are hurting – really hurting – and have been affected by more than 200 bushfires. Anyone who had that app going knows how regularly it was pinging off over the last six weeks. At a time when Victorians are losing their homes and losing their livelihoods, we are at the same time seeing the very best of Victorians – truly brave and courageous CFAs from across the state, many who have packed up to help out in places that they have never been to to help out communities that they do not know. It is truly a testament to them and their skills. It is moments like these when the courage of these communities deserves true leadership, not fearmongering and not undermining their communities. The amount of time spent over summer correcting misinformation and lies was actually extraordinary. It is worth noting, and I will reaffirm again, that the Allan Labor government will always stand with our CFA. They deserve not just words but action. They deserve to be safe when protecting Victorians and they deserve to be prepared to fight fires with the best equipment. We are seeing that through the increases in funding right across the state. They deserve leadership that does not play politics with their work.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (10:13): I rise to fully support motion 1229 standing in my colleague Mrs McArthur’s name, and I do so wholeheartedly. Just in the context of the discussion we had yesterday – the condolence motion – and on the points I have just heard from the government speaker, this state deserves transparency. Our regional people deserve safety, and we need the best equipped and the best supported CFA that any state can offer. It is actually quite extraordinary that the board of the CFA would come out on 12 January, last month, and make such a statement. I find it is as though somehow the government has reached into the CFA board and been able to change the modus operandi of what the CFA board as a statutory board is all about. It is set up to govern the CFA, and under the act it is set up for strategic direction. It is set up to approve budgets, yes, and it manages risk and oversight and compliance, but it is also set up to strengthen the CFA volunteer base and operational model. It is there to serve not only Victoria but also the volunteers, and what we see is this significant divergence between what is being said by the board and what should be happening on the ground. I will speak to some of the divergent positions because both the CFA board and Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria – somebody who we on this side, the Liberals and Nationals, trust and value – have raised issues in public statements.

The CFA board says that the CFA funding has not been cut, the CFA budget has increased. It is following the Premier hook, line and sinker. It is also saying that the board –

Ryan Batchelor interjected.

Melina BATH: You get to have your say in a moment, so you can enjoy that, but this is my turn, and I am standing up for the volunteers and reality and truth. Let me –

David Davis interjected.

The PRESIDENT: I think I know what the point of order is. I call the house to order. Ms Bath to continue without any interjections.

Melina BATH: Thank you very much. The VFBV’s position – a public document – says:

[QUOTES AWAITING VERIFICATION]

funding is not keeping pace. CFA is receiving a shrinking share of the tax revenue.

The VFBV’s position is the fleet is far below need, an ageing fleet and in crisis. The VFBV position is that government is avoiding stating base CFA budget and it lacks transparency. The VFBV position is that the levy is misleading. The tax is burdening every single property owner. Victorians who own property, rent or the like are being targeted with this, and it is misleading. The CFA receives a small and declining proportion of this tax. The VFBV says they are the worst ever survey results, with deep dissatisfaction of funding and support. That is what this organisation, based on its volunteers, states.

The Auditor-General came out last month and had to itemise a process step by step to contradict the Premier, who was happy to throw the Auditor-General under a bus and is happy to throw volunteers under a bus, and it is an ageing bus. I turned up at my local CFA the other day, and they had a vehicle that was over 30 years old beside their one that is about 15 years old – 30 years old. It has no outdoor seating. They were trying to equip it. They were testing it: filling it with petrol and filling it full of water in order to protect our region – over 30 years old.

This government wants to go lockstep however it is happening in the background. That is exactly what these documents seek to define – the transparency, however it is happening. Why has this board deviated so far from its position to support and strengthen the CFA volunteer base and operational mode? This government has cut the CFA budget. It is clear as day – over $50 million in the last few years if you consider inflation. This is not right. Victorians deserve transparency, and I fully support this motion. We need to see what is going on behind closed doors.

 Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (10:18): I am pleased to rise to speak on Mrs McArthur’s short-form documents motion, which is seeking a range of matters from the CFA. As all speakers so far have done, I think it is important at the start to acknowledge the exceptional work that the volunteers from the CFA and across the state have done in what has been an exceptionally challenging fire season. The homes that they have saved, the buildings they have saved and the lives they have saved are something that we as a state and we as members of Parliament should express our enduring gratitude for.

What we have had accompanying the efforts that our volunteers have made on the firegrounds, supported by a range of career firefighters, is unfortunately some seeking to make political disruption and disruption for political gain by spreading misinformation within the community about the funding that the CFA receives. Because of the sessional orders the Liberal Party introduced, we do not have time to properly debate this in detail here, so I will just take a small opportunity to outline what some of the facts are about funding of the CFA.

Obviously the latest annual report shows that grant income to the CFA rose by over $21 million to over $361 million, while total income increased by $26 million to $477 million.

I think what is important is that those figures do not include other funding provided to the CFA, such as capital funding for new fleet or for new stations. We know the government has a significant program of capital allocation for new fleet and other facilities for the CFA, in addition to the doubling of the volunteer emergency services and equipment program, which is seeing the CFA get $22 million this year alone for new equipment.

What this documents motion will not uncover are the cuts that the Liberal Party are planning to make to this additional funding that has been provided to the CFA, because what they have committed to is to scrap the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, and part of this additional funding is being funded by the ESVF. We know that if they scrap the tax, which is what the Liberals want to do, what the Nationals want to do – they want to scrap the tax – they have got to cut the funding. The only things that are coming this year for the CFA if the Liberals and Nationals are elected are funding cuts to the CFA.

Motion agreed to.