AN 11th hour bid to stop the controversial Emergency Services Volunteers Fund (ESVF) from passing the Victorian upper house next week has been made with a last-ditch appeal to all crossbench MPs.
Victorian Fire Brigades Victoria District 23 president and veteran firefighter Garry Nash has written to 59 MPs along with the Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes.
Under the ESVF, primary producers face triple the tax for each parcel of land to what they're paying now, and residential property taxes would double.
Mr Nash's latest push to force a stay on the legislation, which passed the lower house in March, was on Thursday, backed by Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant and Deputy Mayor Harvey Benton, local firefighters, and farmers.
They gathered out the front of council’s municipal offices and Mr Nash briefed the gathering on letters to politicians calling for the ESVF to be scrapped, and he led off with a quote by Albert Einstein.
“Those who have the privilege to know, have the duty to act,” Mr Nash recited.
“The duty to act for me was prompted by the disrespect this current government has had for our volunteers, our rural and regional communities, and the government not consulting about the new levy.”
Mr Nash canned the ‘volunteers fund’ saying it was a “smoke screen” and he said volunteerism is not part of the fund and he rather described it as “an absolute tax grab”.
“I was more passionate about this when, after I wrote to the premier and the treasurer, I received a response that they would talk to me in 6-7 weeks when they can,” he said.
“That didn’t quite infuriate me, but it made me more determined to do something further so I have written letters to 59 MPs and I must say they have been very positive in their responses.
“An MP communicated with me today that its mutton dressed up as lamb and it’s an insult to volunteers and the community.
“This is why the Rural City of Wangaratta and other stakeholders see this as exactly the same and we need to have consultation as we go forward.”
Mr Nash met with Nationals leader Danny O’Brien and MP for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland on Wednesday night and he said they are passionate about seeing this legislation voted down.
He is rallying the community to appeal to Legislative Council crossbench MPs and share their views which they can use as collateral in the debate.
Mayor Grant said council has been made very much aware of the levy by the community in how it will be another financial imposition they will have to manage.
“We’ve spoken to Jaclyn Symes and she’s been quite clear that this levy will go ahead and we’re concerned from a council perspective that we’ve go yet another job to do,” she said.
“It’s something that’s going to impact on our community and we’re hugely concerned about that.
“I am really pleased to see our community stand up and say this is not for us and this is something that is going to make a financial difference in a very negative way – let’s do something about it.”
Cr Grant said at no time in the process was local government consulted about the levy but they will be the entity tasked with collecting it on behalf of the State Revenue Office.
Cr Benton said it was the worst tax grab in his 21 years as a councillor in terms of the way it’s been done and the methodology to use council as “the whipping horse” for government.
“It’s the equivalent of a 10 per cent rate rise on top of what people are paying now and once this goes through it could go up further in the next 12 months without consultation,” he said.
“To bring it back to the people in the urban area, it’s another 10 per cent you’ve got to find, it’s going to hurt for example renters, as much as it will the CFA.
“For volunteers to pay for being a volunteer is absolute stupidity.”
The next session of the Legislative Council is scheduled for Tuesday, 13 May.