John MULLAHY (Glen Waverley) (12:48): It is a pleasure to rise in favour of the Fire Services Property Amendment (Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund) Bill 2025, and from the outset I would like to thank the Treasurer in the other place and her team for their efforts in bringing this important piece of legislation to this house. I trust that these changes will make a positive impact for Victorians. I also note the excellent contribution by the member to my left the member for Werribee and his erudite speech on sharing his experience as a CFA volunteer with both Dimboola and Werribee. Again, it is great to have a new yet lived-experience voice in this chamber. This is an important piece of legislation that builds on the Allan Labor government’s record investment in our emergency services. Since coming into government we have stood by, not against, our emergency services personnel, who do such a wonderful job in serving the Victorian community.
Since 2013 the fire services property levy has been the primary source of funding for our fire services for both the Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria, formerly known as the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. This levy is collected by local councils on behalf of the state government, and this process is monitored by the State Revenue Office. It is a system which is fair and equitable, and it is based on both fixed and variable charges which include property classification, location and capital-increased revenue. The purpose of this bill is to replace the existing fire services property levy and transform it into the expanded Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, and this change will allow the funding of several additional fire and emergency services. This new levy, starting on 1 July this year, will fund up to 95 per cent of the annual budgets of numerous emergency and volunteer services as well as allowing for the release of a $250 million support package for the CFA and the VICSES that this government committed to, and therefore it is absolutely critical this legislation is supported. The ESVF is estimated to raise more than $610 million in the years 2025–26 and more than $765 million in the 2026–27 year. Every single dollar of these vital funds will be used to purchase and maintain life-saving equipment, vehicles, recovery support as well as volunteer training.
To further emphasise this point as to why this change is so important, I want to take a moment to go through each emergency service that will be funded through the reformed levy policy. The Victorian State Emergency Service, known as the SES, is a volunteer-based organisation that provides critical support in times of flood, storm, fire and other emergencies. The volunteers provide immediate responses to minimise the impact of emergencies in cases of natural disaster such as floods, storms, tsunamis and earthquakes. This quick and on-the-ground response is appreciated by Victorians in both regional and metropolitan areas, and I know this applies to my local area as well. The team at the Forest Hill SES and the Monash SES do an incredible job in the Glen Waverley district in supporting them during their most critical times. I would like to thank the unit controller Graeme Stanley and his team at the Whitehorse SES and unit controller George Haitidis and his team at the Monash SES for all they do to help our community in our most pressing times of need. We literally saw this last year in the Monash area when we had some very severe storms that particularly hit Monash. We had over 1000 jobs that the Monash SES replied to over about a period of a week. Basically we had trees come down and trees land on people’s roofs. There was debris all across the Monash area, and over several weeks the Monash SES quietly and diligently went about their job to clean up that mess and ensure that people were looked after. It was great to have the Premier down there at the end of that busy week to thank the Monash SES and all the volunteers that were still helping out at that stage. Such rapid responses not only help those in need in the moment but also set the groundwork for an easier clean-up in the aftermath. They also lead emergency management plans to help protect the community, with more than 5100 SES volunteers serving our state.
The ESVF will also support Emergency Management Victoria, which leads the management of emergency situations when they arise by coordinating responses as well as strengthening the Victorian community’s ability to prepare and respond to emergencies. The changes to the funding model will also assist in strengthening the work of Triple Zero Victoria, and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Triple Zero Victoria that is located right in the centre of my electorate, just off Burwood Highway. I got to see the amazing work that Triple Zero Victoria do, and it was great to have the Minister for Emergency Services there visiting with me. I was fortunate to be able to listen in to a couple of calls by the wonderful Archer. It was just amazing to see how good she was in responding to these people that are calling with very difficult circumstances. The professionalism that I was able to see from her gave me great strength and great hope about the great work that they do to make sure that Victorians are kept safe.
Triple Zero Victoria serves as a critical link between the people of Victoria and the emergency services agencies that they rely on in times of need. It is where the calls are received for 24 hours a day, and it is where cases are triaged and help is dispatched. This magnificent institution is located on Lakeside Drive in Burwood East, and the new structure will fund both the State Control Centre and Emergency Recovery Victoria, as well as Forest Fire Management Victoria’s role within the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. In addition to what is already a wide range of changes, the funding model for the CFA and FRV will be reformed.
Although I do not have a CFA in my electorate, the headquarters of the CFA are in my electorate. They are located not far from Triple Zero Victoria. I also got to visit that with the Minister for Emergency Services, where they have got a lot of training that is done there. All the CFA members can come from across the state, come back to that location and be upskilled in training so that they are best prepared when we need them the most. We had some vision goggles, where they put me in a fire situation where we were trying to put out an EV fire in a garage. We got the fire out, which was good. It was good to see technology that was created here in Victoria by Deakin University, obviously creating technology to train the next generation of our volunteers in making sure that they can help our state when we need it.
The transition to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund will mean that the CFA’s budget will go from a fixed 77.5 per cent revenue to now receiving up to 95 per cent of its funding from the new levy. I remember as a candidate going out and visiting the Monash SES and George and his team, and George was on my back from the first moment he met me with regard to the fact that when we need them in a time of crisis they will be there. The issue is that then they have to go out themselves and shake the tin on the corners of streets and raise funds that way. I am happy that this bill will make sure that they do not have to do as much of that work. I am very happy with this bill being passed here today. This is in conjunction with the continuation of the existing $50 concession for veterans and pensioners. It means that this levy will be applied fairly while still meeting the intended objectives.
Victoria as a state is unfortunately very susceptible to natural disasters, including fires and floods, and this of course is exacerbated by climate change. I used to live out in Meredith when I was a young lad.
John MULLAHY: It is a wonderful place, member for Eureka. I remember we had a fire just up the back of our farm a couple of farms away. We dashed up there to give a hand, and it was just great to see the Meredith CFA there when we needed them the most.
I have got a few more things that I would like to say, but time is getting away. In thanking our hardworking emergency service staff and volunteers, who are always there to keep us safe – our families and puppies alike – I urge the Victorian community to always stay vigilant and aware of any potential dangers. Your cooperation will help our emergency services to protect our community and keep us safe, including saving 000 calls for emergencies. I commend the bill to the house.
