On 11 June 2025 Merri-Bek Council Passed the Following Resolution:
Moved by Councillor Sue Bolton
Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund
Motion
That Council:
1. Through the Mayor, writes to the State government regarding the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) and expressing the following points:
a. City of Merri-bek opposes the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) and calls for emergency services to be funded through the State Government’s consolidated revenue fund instead.
b. The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) should not be used for non-core activities.
c. The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) should not be used to make or disguise cuts to emergency services.
d. Calls for the State government to commit to a moratorium on collecting the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) in order to allow a public inquiry to examine the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) and its implications.
2. A message will be included with the rates notices clearly indicating that the ESVF is a State government levy that it is forcing Councils to collect for them and that Council totally opposes the ESVF and is campaigning to end it.
3. Receives a briefing in the first half of 2026 regarding financial implications to Merri-bek in relation to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund.
The motion passed 8-3, with only the 3 x ALP councillors voting against it.
The councillors who voted for it included Sue from Socialist Alliance the 4 x Greens councillors, ex-Greens independent & 2 x conservative independents.
