Treasurer dodges questions on Silverleaves land tax bills
IN the same week Bass Coast Shire Council agreed to accept a petition calling for a levee bank at Silverleaves the State Government has been questioned over land tax bills.
A petition containing 23 signatures was received by council with a total of 1,226 entries calling for a tried and extensively researched levee bank solution for Silverleaves.
The petition claimed a levee bank would provide a reliable, cost effective and environmentally responsible strategy to safeguard properties, infrastructure and the long-term resilience of the Silverleaves community. Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes meanwhile refused to explain why hundreds of property owners in Silverleaves had been sent unlawful land tax assessments.
Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath MP said the Treasurer had completely dodged the question when asked to explain why this had happened.
“The Treasurer should have identified this significant error before sending out these unlawful valuations. Many unsuspecting Victorians are not even aware they are paying inflated land tax based on invalid assessments, or to object,” Ms Bath said.
Ms Bath cited one valuation which dropped from $775,000 to $175,000 after the homeowner objected reducing their tax bill by more than $2,000.
“Labor must direct the SRO and Valuer General to correct all wrongful valuations and refund overcharged households from its price gouging. Residents should not be forced to fight the Allan Government to receive a bill reduction or refund they are rightfully owed,” Ms Bath said.
In 2025 the High Court ruling in Valuer-General Victoria v WSTI Properties established that land with strict planning controls such as Land Subject to Inundation Overlay zones must be valued to reflect its limited development potential.
Despite this ruling the Victorian State Revenue Office issued about 500 land tax notices using inflated valuations that ignored the LSIO restrictions applying to Silverleaves properties.
Silverleaves is a small residential community on the northern shore of Phillip Island where many properties are subject to inundation overlays due to low-lying
terrain near Western Port.
Melbourne Water has opposed new housing developments at Silverleaves and nearby Pioneer Bay in recent years because of the risk of inundation from sea level rise.
The Silverleaves Conservation Society has urged property owners to object to their valuations noting that current assessments do not take into account the impact of planning restrictions on land values.
