Geelong farmers and landowners seething over council burn permit fee

A new fee for burn permit applicants has drawn the ire of local farmers.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said City Hall’s burn permit fee was not reasonable. Picture: JAMES WAGSTAFF

Landowners have been left seething after applying for burn off permits only to discover council are now charging more than $70.

Geelong council introduced the $73 fee last year as part of its Proposed 2025-26 Budget and Revenue & Rating Plan.

But landowners, including Wallington’s Karl Grant, only begun finding out about the new fee while applying for permits after burning season began.

Mr Grant, who lives on five acres of land, said its impossible for him to keep his property tidy without burning off.

“I can’t actually maintain the property by using the council provided green bin,” Mr Grant said.

“From a fuel reduction perspective you need to clear it up, it’s not just a fire risk, but I’ve got to clear weeds.”

A farmer who lives north of Geelong but did not want to be named questioned why council would slap landowners with this fee, while also campaigning against the fire services levy.

“It’s just wrong,” he said.

“They aren’t looking after the people, it’s more like politics, they’re looking after their own men and not worried about the people.

“It’s going to create a problem next year, which looks like its going to be pretty dry now, so it could be a big fire risk if no one cleans up their property.”

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said the fee was “not reasonable”.

“Burning off is incredibly important for our communities and how we manage our fire preparedness,” Mr Hosking said.

Mr Hosking said farmers had to be encouraged to burn off to protect the community. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

“There seems to be an assumption that firefighting only happens when there is an emergency, when something’s on fire and we’re calling triple-0.

“In reality, there are farmers out there every single day of the year, managing vegetation and preparing firebreaks.

“If firefighting was left only to our emergency services, our state would be black.”

City of Greater Geelong’s executive director of city life Anthony Basford said the fee was necessary due to the over 2000 permits applied for annually.

“The Permit to Burn program ensures that burning is conducted safely, minimising the risk of uncontrolled fires and protecting people, property and the environment,” Mr Basford said.

“The consistent increase in applications has placed significant pressure on our small team responsible for processing these permits, limiting their capacity leading up to the next Fire Danger Period.”

“The fee covers the cost of an additional role required to meet the increasing demand for Permit to Burn applications.

“This allows Fire Prevention Officers to focus on proactive fire hazard mitigation, respond more quickly to concerns, and enhance community education on fire safety for new applicants.

“Once issued, the permit is valid for the entire burning season, allowing the resident to conduct multiple burns through this period if permit conditions are followed.

Community members are encouraged to provide feedback to council on the new fee by May 21.

Originally published as Geelong farmers and landowners seething over council burn permit fee