‘Unless we’re stupid, the Emergency Services levy is gone’, says Scott Rae

FOSTER North farmer and South Gippsland Councillor Scott Rae famously got his hands dirty delivering a much-publicised message about the controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) to State Parliament in May this year.

Now he’s doubled down on the message after the State Government announced on Friday, December 5 that they were freezing the primary producers’ levy at the old Fire Service’s Levy rate of 28.7 cents per $1000 CIV, with no plans to raise it anytime soon.

Cr Rae reckons, that means the levy is history.

“Unless we’re stupid and vote them back in, that’s the last we’ll see of the Emergency Services levy,” said Cr Rae on Friday.

“Danny O’Brien doesn’t want it, Jess Wilson doesn’t want it, Bev McArthur (Shadow Minister for Local Government) and Nicole Wearner (Shadow Minister for Housing Affordability and Youth) don’t want it. Nobody wants it,” he said.

The latter two were the two MPs allegedly involved in leaving a package of manure from ‘Brutus the Bull’, calling BS to the levy, at the Office of the Premier.

“Must be an election coming.

“You can tell that from the amount of roadworks going on at the moment, not that we don’t welcome it. They’re even trimming the trees and spraying weeds along the edges of the freeway, making it look all nice.

“Clearly the decks, I guess you call it.”

Cr Rae said the levy was a lame-brain scheme from the outset and little wonder people came out in droves to object to it.

“I’ve told Brutus that his work is done”.

The Treasurer Jaclyn Symes made the announcement about “freezing” the levy for farmers at the present level, with no plans in the forward estimates to reinstate the crippling levy anytime soon, during a refresh on the State Budget on Friday.

After providing details of an improvement in the state’s finances and economic outlook, Ms Symes announced the news that will have farmers sitting easier at the dinner table tonight.

“In addition to the figures that you see today, I'd also like to bring to your attention some changes that we are making based on feedback to the emergency services and volunteer fund,” said Ms Symes.

“As you know, the emergency services volunteer fund replaced the fire services property levy last year. What we announced at budget time was to ensure that the farmer land rate was to be kept the same as the fire services property levy.

“Today's budget update confirms that it will remain at that rate for a minimum of next two years. So that rate is 28.7 cents per $1000 of the CIV, so confirming for the next two financial years that rate will remain.

“This is again in continued recognition of dry conditions, seasonal impact, and the fact that farmers have had to respond to that, including a lot of de stocking and the like, and we know it will take some time to build back up.

“So, I'd like to thank the VFF for their advocacy in particular, and the numerous farmers that have provided me with direct feedback in relation to how they're going.

“I'd also like to remind people that there is a rebate available for active and lifelong volunteers of the CFA and Victorian SES, and 1000s of volunteers are taking up that opportunity.

“Again, based on feedback from the farmer community, the change that we're making in the budget update, to go forward prospectively, is to lift the cap of $5 million of CIV to $10 million of CIV. So, effectively, this means that for farmers that have property values in excess of $5 million which is where the cap originally was, the cap will now be $10 million again.

“This is based on feedback and pretty much a recognition of the fact that many farmers might have high value properties, but because of the dry conditions, they may not be as productive as what they could be, and therefore a higher rebate will be available for those farmers.

“This is an indication of a strong economy, a higher surplus, and forecast that is very much based off higher than expected stamp duty. That means more people transacting properties in Victoria. We hear a lot about people talking down the economy, talking and talking down the property sector. Today's update shows that that is just false. We have a strong economy.

“The last quarter, the national accounts, just this week, reported that business investment and growth in Victoria is up 3.6% that is the highest quarterly growth in over two years and out stripping the figures in other states.

“So that in conjunction with more and more property sales transactions, which flows through the economy and then into the into the budget, is evidenced in the budget update today. So, a strong economy, and a strong budget but with more work to do.”