Council
13 June, 2025
Ignored by Jacinta Allan
DOZENS of Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigades gathered to peacefully protest the Premier’s visit to Camperdown last week.
Premier Jacinta Allan was in the region last Friday for the first meeting of the Drought Response Taskforce, but the visit drew protests from members of the community and CFA volunteers who are frustrated with the lack of drought support for farmers and the ramifications of the controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) levy.
In excess of 30 CFA tankers circled the streets of Camperdown in a moving convoy to avoid disrupting traffic, with the vehicles emblazoned with messaging imploring the Premier to hear their concerns.
Among those in attendance was Grassmere CFA captain John Houston, who had brought along a CFA teddy bear, Buster, which he had hoped to gift to Ms Allan.
“We were blown away by the response from other brigades,” he said.
“Myself and Leigh Harry (Chocolyn CFA secretary) basically organised it on short notice and I thought it was held in good spirit.
“We were respectful and showed a country welcome to Jacinta, peacefully waiting for her to come out to say hello or shake a hand, even to acknowledge that we were there.”
Ms Allan was asked at a press conference if she would meet with local volunteers – a question she would not directly answer, and ultimately she did not meet with any volunteers.
“I will meet with anyone who wants to have an engagement that’s open, that’s frank and that’s respectful,” Ms Allan said.
Mr Houston was among the CFA volunteers who were “hurt” the Premier did not meet with volunteers, in addition to her suggestion those in attendance would not engage in an open, frank, respectful discussion.
“There are a lot of people who are hurting and everyone has opinions, but the two rallies I’ve been part of have been super respectful,” he said.
“I sat there patiently, even when she walked out the back door we quietly asked to have a nice discussion but she ran out the back door – I was the only one left there waiting,” he said.
“I just wanted a nice conversation, and thought, from the heart, she might see it from the country perspective.
“We know she’s got a job to do, but when tax is discriminating against people in the country, especially farmers and businesses when we’re already slugged a fortune, it seems we cop the brunt of everything.
“The drought will come and go, but it’s just another kick in the guts for people in the country – we don’t get good roads, we don’t get services, we don’t have public transport like they do in the city – so why are we getting milked more than our fair share?”
Mr Houston said the ESVF would push farmers and small businesses to the brink, with many of those in attendance concerned they or loved ones would struggle under the pressure.
“It’s cruel and heartless – it’s just not showing any empathy,” he said.
“She’s a mother who wouldn’t treat one child differently than the other, and Victoria is basically a family, so why is the city family being treated differently!
“Everyone is treated differently on this tax with farmers and small businesses bearing the brunt of this.
“There’s a temporary reduction but it’s still going to go up next year, and that’s just not fair.
“My mates are farmers and they’re paying $5000, $10,000, $20,000 or even more – I’ve got other friends who are going to get charged only $200.”
Mr Houston said CFA volunteers were the lifeblood of rural communities, dedicating hundreds of hours to supporting others in their time of need – and all they want is a fair go.
“A lot of the CFA volunteers also volunteer for clubs or schools,” he said.
“To be a CFA volunteer there’s hundreds of hours going in to that – you’ve got training and accidents, you’re at the beck and call, but you do it because you want to support your community in the case of a fire.
“You want to protect people, and if it’s a road accident you want to have the best outcome.
“There’s a lot of things CFA volunteers in the bush do that people don’t realise, it’s the same with the State Emergency Service (SES), and we do it for nothing – not a pat on the back, not a fat paycheque.
“We do it because we love our communities and want to serve them as best we can.”
While the occasional siren and a few chants to “scrap the tax” rang out, Camperdown Police Sergeant Natalie Jorgensen praised the protestors for their behaviour.
“We were involved a little bit because of all the CFA trucks being here, but it was all very peaceful,” she said.
“It was all handed very well – everyone was peaceful, and there were no issues raised.
“We had lots of CFA trucks rolling around, but they were all very well-behaved.”
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