Victorian Budget 2022: Captain queries fire services levy delivery

Strathbogie’s CFA captain says cash from the fire services levy isn’t flowing through to rural brigades.

Spring Street may be raking in an $800 million financial haul from the Fire Services Property Levy.

But more than 200 kilometres northeast of the Victorian Parliament, Strathbogie’s CFA captain says the dollars are getting lost somewhere up the Hume Highway.

“As much as we desperately need a new station at Strathbogie, and we really do, there are other brigades in even more dire need of an upgrade,” David Hamilton said.

“Some haven’t got electricity, running water, proper toilets. Just the basics for volunteers to do their jobs.”

Not that conditions at Strathbogie’s fire shed are ideal. Its ageing shed just squeezes in two tankers and volunteers are forced to wash hoses on the main street.

Mr Hamilton and his brigade lodged a petition in the state parliament a few years ago, calling for upgrade works — but have yet to receive an adequate government response.

“In country Victoria, you pay two and a half times more on your fire services levy for a million dollar property compared to Melbourne. Yet we’re the ones that voluntarily put on the hat and uniform day-in, day-out in summer,” he said.

“The Wi-Fi connection here is non-existent. There’s barely enough room for volunteers to get changed. You have to wonder where the levy cash goes.”

Last week’s state budget forecasted that $800 million will be collected from the Fire Services Property Levy in the coming financial year.

But Victorian National Party leader Peter Walsh says only $12 million will be spent on new infrastructure across fire services statewide.

“It’s insulting that while Labor wastes $28.1 billion plugging cost blowouts on its mismanaged major projects, our volunteer fireys – the people who selflessly stand up to protect our communities when we need it most – have been handed scraps off the table,” Mr Walsh said.

A spokeswoman for Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said there were “absolutely no cuts to fire services and no reduction in the capabilities of our fire services in Victoria as part of the 2022-23 Victorian Budget.

“The Budget papers make it clear that all levy proceeds go to: ‘supporting the State’s fire services, including vital lifesaving equipment, firefighters, staff and volunteers, training, infrastructure and community education’,” the spokeswoman said.

“There has been no difference between Fire Services Property Levy rates for regional and metropolitan areas since 1 July 2020.”

The government spokeswoman noted the 2022-23 budget allocated $27,113,000 directly for fire services, including cash for firefighter training and female-friendly changing facilities at three training campuses and upgrades to up to 40 CFA stations.

The Andrews Government also allocated $1.2 billion in funding for five services in the 2020-21 financial year.