Council
29 January, 2026
Britnell calls for emergency services minister to step up
SOUTH West Coast MP Roma Britnell has called on the Minister for Emergency Services to step up or resign as the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) continues to cause angst in regional communities.
Ms Britnell slammed Minister for Emergency Services Vikki Ward as refusing to take responsibility for the impact which the introduction of the ESVF is having on volunteers.
She said the tax, introduced last year despite widespread community opposition, forces State Emergency Service (SES) units to pay a levy on the buildings which house their lifesaving equipment.
“These buildings are not commercial assets – they are volunteer sheds, maintained and operated by people who rely entirely on fundraising to operate,” Ms Britnell said.
“Volunteer organisations do not earn an income – their only source of funding comes from sausage sizzles, donations, raffles and community events.
“That means this levy is not being paid by government and not absorbed by bureaucracy.
“It is paid by volunteers working longer hours simply to hand money back to the state for the privilege of serving their communities.
“The irony is staggering.”
Ms Britnell said attempts to raise concerns with the Victorian Government had resulted only in responsibility being passed off elsewhere.
“When I made representations to the Minister, pointing out the absurdity and asking for an exemption in these cases, she responded by handballing responsibility to the Treasurer and refused to act,” she said.
“Despite clear authority to exempt certain groups, as has rightly been done for farmers experiencing drought, emergency service volunteer sheds have been left out.
“This is not just a policy failure, it is a failure of respect.”
Ms Britnell said units were already feeling the pinch.
“Local State Emergency Service units have made it clear that there is no money with which to pay this bill,” she said.
“As the SES volunteers said, the government can wait as long as it likes, but the unit cannot pay a tax without revenue.
“And what is the government going to do? Sack the volunteers and close down the SES?”
Ms Britnell said the result would only harm emergency services and questioned if the minister should stay in her role if she isn’t willing to back those who dedicate their time to keeping the community safe.
“The inevitable outcome of this approach is fewer resources, fewer volunteers, and weaker emergency preparedness,” she said.
“Victorians deserve better than another bill from a government that leans on the goodwill of volunteers to keep our communities safe.
“This is another example of Minister Ward saying ‘not my job’.
“If the minister doesn’t want to do her job, she should resign.”
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