We say the Victorian Government has broken a pledge to release a full breakdown of how it intends to spend the $1.6 billion collected through the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund (ESVF).
VFF President Ryan Milgate said Victorian farmers, businesses and households had every right to know where their money was going, particularly after the Treasurer stated to do so.
“Last year the Treasurer Jaclyn Symes publicly committed to providing annual reporting on both levy collections and agency allocations. Now when that time has arrived, it’s nowhere to be seen.”
“How can we have any confidence that this so-called beneficial tax is actually going to our emergency services and not being used to line the coffers of the government?”
“These type of hollow commitments strike at the heart of why many Victorians and particularly farmers are so against this tax-grab. It’s all smoke and mirrors and that falls at the feet of the Treasurer,” Mr Milgate said.
Mr Milgate said community opposition would likely continue as pressure builds to scrap the massive hikes proposed to the ESVF.
“This fund has been controversial from the outset because farmers are being asked to shoulder a completely unfair burden.”
“The government’s secrecy only reinforces the VFF’s longstanding position that the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund should be scrapped completely before this year’s election and replaced with a fairer and more accountable funding model.”
“Victorian farmers will pay significantly more under the ESVF and deserve to know exactly how much is being collected, where those funds are being directed and whether every emergency service agency is receiving the support it needs.”
“Transparency matters because this isn’t government money, it’s taxpayers’ money. When the government collects $1.6 billion through a dedicated levy, every Victorian has the right to see exactly where every dollar is going,” Mr Milgate said.
The VFF is calling on the Treasurer to immediately publish the full 2026-27 ESVF revenue and allocation figures and commit to restoring the transparency standards promised when the levy was introduced.