By Violet Li
Coalition says they will scrap Labor’s new emergency levy if elected next year.
Opposition leader Brad Battin said the State Government was once again using a heartless tax hike to plug its budget black hole.
“Only Labor could try and spin a massive land tax as support for volunteers. This is not about emergency services, it’s about squeezing more cash from Victorians to pay for Labor’s budget blowouts,” he said.
According to Mr Battin, under a Coalition Government, the new levy, named as Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), will be scrapped and the original Fire Services Property Levy will be reinstated, with SES funding secured through the State Budget, not through property rates.
“This is about fairness, transparency, and properly supporting those who protect our communities,” he said.
Mr Battin also said emergency services volunteers deserve genuine support, not confusing rebate schemes and false promises.
“Labor has failed to respect our CFA and SES volunteers. Their funding model is based on deception, and we will scrap it.”
Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Danny O’Brien said regional Victorians had been hit hardest by Labor’s new tax.
“This cruel tax deserves to be consigned to history. The Liberals and Nationals will make sure it is,” he said.
“It is a tax that hits regional Victorians particularly hard – and it’s about plugging budget holes, not boosting frontline emergency services.
“Slugging farmers with a 150 per cent increase to what they previously paid is nothing short of callous amid a drought and a cost-of-living crisis.”
The new emergency levy was passed last week in parliament to replace the original Fire Services Property Levy from 1 July this year.
It is aimed at supporting a broader range of emergency services.
According to the newly released State Budget 2025-26, the new levy is estimated to collect more than $2 billion on top of the existing levy over the next three years.
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes did not measure the new levy in her budget speech.
