In a move that has shocked regional communities, only 20 cents of every dollar raised through Victoria’s new Emergency Services Tax is reaching the CFA — and just five cents is going to the SES. Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy has slammed this as an “outright betrayal” of the volunteers who put their lives on the line to protect ours.
The $1.54 billion Emergency Services Volunteer Fund was meant to be a lifeline, replacing the Fire Services Property Levy. Instead, Mr. McCurdy has revealed that hundreds of millions are being funneled into bureaucracy — not boots on the ground.
In real terms, the CFA’s budget has been slashed from $341 million to $328.8 million. The SES has been cut from $85.2 million to $76.8 million. These aren’t just numbers on a page — they’re fire trucks that won’t get maintained, radios that won’t be upgraded, and volunteers left without the tools they need.
Labor promised transparency. What we got instead were “shrouded figures and no hard numbers,” McCurdy says. Even the government’s own reports confirm it: out of $1.55 billion raised, only $312 million is going to the CFA and $73 million to the SES.
This isn’t about budgets. It’s about respect. About safety. About ensuring our communities are protected when the worst happens.
Stand with our CFA and SES volunteers. Demand funding transparency. Demand a reversal. Demand better.
Read more in the Yarrawonga Chronicle, 30 July 2025 – “Emergency services tax cuts funding for CFA and SES.
