General News
25 September, 2025
Fire levy strikes hard
This new tax isn’t fair – and Victorian communities deserve better – Leigh Harry
A new fire services tax has been introduced, and it’s hitting every Victorian household, farm and small business hard – particularly in rural and regional communities.
Let’s be clear: this is not just a small adjustment.
This new Emergency Services Volunteers Fund levy (ESVF), will raise an additional $610 million in its first year alone. But where is that money really going?
Despite the word ‘volunteers’ being included in the name of the fund – suggesting the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and its volunteers will benefit significantly – the reality tells a very different story.
It is estimated that only 20 cents in every dollar collected will go to the CFA. That’s right – just 20 cents.
The majority of this massive new tax is being diverted to government departments and public sector agencies, making a mockery of the claim that it’s about supporting emergency services.
Even more insulting is that it will cost $12 million to administer the tax – a figure confirmed in Parliamentary Estimates.
That’s $2 million more than what’s been allocated to the CFA fleet upgrade, which is urgently needed to support our firefighters on the ground.
Let’s be honest – this is a State Government tax, not a community initiative.
Councils are being forced to collect it through our rates. It affects every ratepayer, regardless of their financial position or how vulnerable their community might be.
Your council can advise you of how much is being pulled from your shire.
But perhaps the most offensive part is that CFA volunteers – the very people this tax is supposed to support – are now being asked to pay for the service they provide, for free, to their own communities.
Volunteers shouldn’t have to fund their own equipment, their own trucks or their own stations.
They already give enough: their time, their skills, their courage – often at great personal cost.
The government argues that more frequent natural disasters mean more pressure on emergency services. That’s true.
But if that’s the justification, then why is less money going to the largest emergency service in Victoria – the CFA – which is powered by 55,000 volunteers?
Words and platitudes from politicians won’t extinguish a fire or rescue a neighbour.
We need real funding, not empty promises. The community knows it. The volunteers know it. And the strong turnout at our recent rallies shows that Victorians are ready to speak up.
We are calling on our fellow Victorians to stand together – not just to say no to an unjust tax, but to demand a fair and responsible approach to emergency services funding.
One that doesn’t punish hard-working Victorians, rural families, or small businesses already doing it tough.
We want to remind those in power: we determine the future we want to live in.
If we stay silent, we accept the status quo. But if we speak with one voice, we can drive real change.
The CFA Volunteers Group will continue to show up and speak up.
We are proud to be part of our community, volunteers that care deeply and act decisively.
Our volunteers, our farmers, our small businesses – our entire rural backbone – deserves better.
To the government: we won’t just get angry, we are ready. We will make our voices heard. We will continue to fight for our families and friends. We will fight for our future. And we will not be silenced
We believe in the power of community. Together, we will make a difference.
Leigh Harry
Secretary
On behalf of the Committee of CFA Volunteers Group Inc