A PROPERTY tax that's expected to increase the fire services levy on Rural City of Wangaratta ratepayers by $3.2 million from 1 July, looked certain to pass the upper house on Thursday.
After the second reading of Fire Services Property Amendment (Emergency Services Volunteers Fund) Bill 2025, the vote was 22-18 in favour, with Labor MPs and aligned members from the crossbench, including the Greens, Legalise Cannabis Party and Animal Justice Party members voting in favour of the controversial bill.
Liberal MP for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell condemned the new tax which she said will collect $2.14 billion over three years.
She cited a study compiled by Regional Cities Victoria showing Wangaratta city residents' fire services levy will rise by 67 per cent under the new tax.
Increases to other municipalities in the region would include Indigo 99pc, Benalla 81pc Mansfield 73pc, and Strathbogie 99pc.
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Ms Lovell said it’s “money won’t come back into our communities to increase capacity of firefighters or SES services”.
She described the tax as egregious and said it will impact the cost of living for all walks of life through higher costs for food production.
“It will impact every Victorian right down to the poorest Victorian, it will drive up cost of living, the cost of food, and the cost of rents for the most vulnerable,” she told parliament.
Ms Lovell questioned the meagre amount to be spent on volunteer groups and said only $250 million of the $2.14 billion collected will be spent on volunteer organisations, with the rest to be spent on government operations.
She said money to be spent on the CFA and SES will include $70m on CFA fleet, a $62m increase VESEP (equipment) grant, $53m on VicEmergency and $30m on VICSES training and support.
“The ESVF will begin from 1 July, but the volunteer rebates don’t start until 2026-27 – it’s sneaky and nasty,” she said.
Eastern Victoria and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman emphasised the impact on farmers at a time of drought and indicated the tax will end some of their businesses and impact some people’s mental health.
“I’ve been here 11 years and the Greens have talked about the cost of living, poor people and stand for the people who are marginalised," Mr Bourman said.
"This is going to hurt them so badly, the people who are trying to pay a mortgages, if they’re paying rental, that higher interest will be passed on."
On Tuesday, about 400 volunteers or farmers rallied on the steps of parliament to protest the ESVF.
Five fire trucks and other support vehicles blocked one lane of Spring Street as the crowd heard from leaders of peak farming groups and opposition parliamentarians, with protesters chanting 'scrap the tax' between speeches.
VFF chair Brett Hosking said on Thursday that while the government has announced a 16 per cent reduction in the levy for farmers and a temporary pause for those in drought-declared areas, these concessions do little to ease the broader burden that will be felt across regional and rural Victoria.
“The sheer reality is that this levy will create a crippling financial burden to farmers,” Mr Hosking said.
“This decision shows a clear disconnect between our state government and the day-to-day realities faced by those on the land.
“It almost feels like the worse this drought gets, the harder the government pushes to take more from farmers."
