Murrindindi Shire Council has consistently expressed its opposition to the Emergency Services Volunteer Fund. I’ve personally stood alongside farmers, community leaders, volunteer firefighters, and council representatives from across the state to call out the unfair burden this levy places on rural and regional Victorians.
Murrindindi Shire Council has been a leading voice in the fight against the ESVF levy since the earliest release of information in December, 2024. Council has met with Victoria’s Treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, and Agriculture Minister Ros Spence to express concerns noting that the ESVF will extract an additional $1.8M from Murrindindi Shire residents and businesses.
In May this year, Council passed an urgent motion calling on the State Government to provide relief for rural landowners and primary producers, and I personally wrote to Treasurer Jaclyn Symes seeking immediate reform. The State Government’s recent decision to cap the levy for primary production land is a direct outcome of sustained pressure from rural councils, including ours. Our strong, considered, respectful advocacy has been effective and has helped deliver results.
But this issue is far from resolved. Most recently, I’ve written to Premier Jacinta Allen seeking a full review of the ESVF levy. We continue to work through Rural Councils Victoria, Regional Cities Victoria and the Hume Region Local Government Network to push for long-term reform. I’ve also written to the Deputy Chair of Rural Councils Victoria and Chair of Regional Cities Victoria, calling for stronger engagement with rural communities and support through the State’s newly formed Drought Response Taskforce.
Let me be clear – we will continue to tell the Murrindindi story. Murrindindi Shire Council will continue to advocate against the ESVF wealth tax.
Cr. Damien Gallagher
Mayor, Murrindindi Shire Council
