Farmer News
1 November, 2025
The fight continues
IN a symbol of solidarity, farmers and property owners across the district are continuing to show their support behind the ‘scrap the tax’ movement.
As farmers, CFA volunteers and others continue to push the state government to abolish its recently introduced emergency services levy, Grassmere CFA captain and proud leader of the #scrapthetax movement, John Houston, is encouraging everyone to “flood the area with kookaburras.”
“Initially we had a cheerful looking koala in bright yellow overalls however, due to circumstances beyond our control, we can no longer promote these and have had to replace the koala with this new kookaburra,” John said.
“It was great to see so many koalas in shop windows, on farm gates and on fences all over but now we’re hoping this kooka can be just as prominent.
“We’ve aptly named him Buster and we’re hoping to flood the area with these little fellas!
“The emergency services levy is something that affects us all, not just CFA volunteers, not just farmers, but everyone, one way or another – and now that council rates notices are out (which include this levy) it’s really hitting home and hitting hard.
“We will continue lobbying the state government until a decision is made to scrap the tax or until the next election; whichever comes first.”
To get your hands on a kookaburra, simply give John Houston a call on 0438 654 244 or Leigh Harry 0429 302 056.