Victoria’s communities are calling out the state government as Treasurer Jaclyn Symes refuses to answer direct questions and dodges accountability over the Emergency Services Volunteer Fund tax.
In Parliamentary Question Time, Miss Macarthur confronted Treasurer Symes directly:
“Given the white-hot anger across Victoria’s communities regarding the new Emergency Services Volunteer Fund tax, can you confirm that you have personally received the urgent joint correspondence from Mayors and Councillors dated 15th September 2025, representing more than 20 rural, regional, and metropolitan councils? Will you finally respond to the receipt of this letter?”
Despite repeated attempts by Mayors and Councillors, and community leaders to engage, Treasurer Symes has avoided meetings, refused to acknowledge the joint correspondence, and been duplicitous in answering the question in Parliament. Her evasiveness has left communities frustrated and outraged.
This isn’t about opposing emergency services — it’s about honesty, fairness, and accountability. Councils and communities across Victoria are facing a tax that has been imposed without proper consultation, applied unevenly, and forcing households and small businesses into even greater hardship at a time when people and communities are already struggling .
Communities are clear: they will not accept being ignored or misled. Watch the news reel below as councillors representing tens of thousands of Victorians demand a formal response during Parliamentary Question Time