THE following speech was given at the public rally in Wonthaggi opposing the new emergency services levy on Friday June 13. It was written by a member of a local farming family and, represents all farmers and was delivered by Graham Wood.
Friends, fellow farmers of Gippsland!
Look around you. Look at the faces in this crowd. You see strength. You see resilience. You see the generations of grit and determination that have carved a life from this beautiful, and at times, tough country. We are the custodians of this land. We’ve ploughed the soil, and our bloody sweat has watered it, and our hearts are buried in it.
Farmers are the lifeblood of this state, and for more than 100 years, we have been the unwavering backbone of the Volunteers services that protects it:
When the call goes out, who is it that drops everything? Who leaves their own stock, their own homes, their own families, to stand on the fire front? It’s us. It’s our fathers, our mothers, our sons, and our daughters. Since settlement it’s been organised groups of Volunteers, farmers and our rural communities that have manned the trucks.
The CFA has been a testament to the volunteer spirit of regional Victoria, and it is a spirit that has been championed, overwhelmingly, by the farming community. We have never asked for thanks. We have never asked for reward. We have done it because it’s who we are. It’s what you do for your community.
And what is our reward from the state government in Melbourne? Nothing! A thank you? No. A new truck for the local brigade? No. Our reward is a kick in the guts. Our reward is a new tax!
A tax so unjust, so inequitable, that it feels like a deliberate punishment for the very service we provide. I’m talking about the new Emergency Services Volunteer Fund. They call it a levy, but let’s call it what it is - a tax! A tax that is set to cripple family farms and a tax that we must, together, demand that it be scrapped!
This government wants you to believe this is just a simple, fair way to fund our emergency services. But let me be crystal clear, this tax is anything but fair. Let’s break it down to show exactly why this is an assault on every farmer in Victoria:
First, this is a tax on your assets, not your income. The government calculates this tax based on the Capital Improved Value of your farm. That is the value of your soil enabling the production of food and fibre, your land, your sheds, your fences – everything. But as every single person here knows, the value of your farm on paper has absolutely no bearing on the money you have in the bank. We can have a multi-million-dollar property and be struggling to make ends meet whether it be after a tough season, or drought, or low market prices. This isn’t a tax on profit; it's a tax on our very existence. It’s like taxing a factory on the value of its working capital, i.e. machinery, or medicos having to pay a tax on their x-ray and MRI machines, etc. They don’t pay tax on this working capital. A Farm’s soil is its working capital and should not be taxed! This levy is a tax and is fundamentally, and dangerously, flawed.
Second, it disproportionately punishes farmers. The figures don't lie. While city homeowners will see a small rise in their contributions, farmers are being slugged with an increase of 3 times or more in just one year! It is an outrageous and targeted attack on the agricultural sector. They see our land, our assets, and they see a cash cow. They don’t see the mortgages. They don’t see the input costs and hard work. They don’t see the sleepless nights and the long hours of working. The politicians see an opportunity to prop up their budget on the backs of the hardest-working people in this State of Victoria.
Third, and this is the most galling insult of all, it penalises the very volunteers who protect us. Think about it. Many of you in this crowd are CFA volunteers. Who give their time, their energy, and risk their lives for free. And now, this government has the audacity to send us a bigger bill for the privilege. They’ve offered a token rebate for one property, a measly concession that is a slap in the face. It's a cynical political stunt that does nothing to address the fundamental injustice of forcing volunteers to pay for the service they already so generously provide. It's like asking a volunteer at a soup kitchen to pay for the soup! It is absurd, and it is offensive. A one-year reprieve, though welcome, does not mean too much if it is only for one year.
Finally, this is a tax on our food and our future. This isn't just a burden on us; it's a threat to the food security of our state. Every extra dollar in tax is a dollar we can’t invest in new equipment, in sustainable farming practices, or in succession planning to pass the farm on to the next generation. It makes us less competitive, it makes our food more expensive, and it pushes more family farms to the brink. This isn’t just a rural issue; this is an issue for every single person who eats to continue living.
Friends, the government will tell you this is about funding our emergency services. But let’s be clear, we all support funding our emergency services. We are the emergency services! But this is not about funding; this is about fairness. It is about a city-centric government that has no understanding of, and no respect for, the realities of life on the land.
So, what do we do? We don't just get angry. We get organised. We make our voices heard. We are here today to send a clear, united message to the Premier and to every single member of this state government.
We demand that you scrap this tax!
We demand that you go back to the drawing board and design a funding model that is fair for all Victorians. A model that is based on ability to pay, not on the theoretical value of the land we happen to own. A model that is sourced from the general revenue that everyone contributes to, because emergency services protect everyone.
So, I am calling on every one of you. Go home and call your local Member of Parliament. Write to the minister. Support the rallies. Put up a sign on your gate. Let them know that farmers will not stand for this. We have been the quiet achievers for too long. We have been the backbone of the Volunteer Emergency Services, the stewards of this land, and the providers of your food.
We are not a line item in your budget. We are not a problem to be managed. We are the heart of this state. And we will fight for our farms, we will fight for our families, and we will fight for our future. Let them hear our voice, from the mountains to the sea, let them hear the roar of Gippsland. We will not be broken. We will not be silenced. And we will not pay this unjust tax!
