Farming families, small business owners and volunteers across Whittlesea are bracing for financial shockwaves– and local leaders aren’t staying quiet.
In a strongly-worded rebuke, Whittlesea council has slammed the state government’s new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), calling for its immediate reconsideration.
“This state- imposed levy will be felt across all sectors of our community,” mayor Martin Taylor declared.
“From farming families and small business operators to everyday residents already grappling with rising costs and economic uncertainty.”
While modest amendments have been made– such as reductions for Primary Production Land and rebates for eligible volunteers– Whittlesea council said they “fall far short of what is needed,” Cr Taylor said.
On Friday, Treasurer and Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes announced the ESVF rate on primary production properties would remain at 28.7 cents per $1000 of capital improved value — the same as 2024–25. Originally set at 83 cents, the government slashed the rate twice amid a political firestorm.
“By capping the rate… we’re ensuring farmers can remain fully focused on their drought response and recovery,” Symes said.
But Whittlesea Council said the move doesn’t go far enough.
“Every ratepayer across the City of Whittlesea will be affected,” Cr Taylor warned.
“It is fundamentally unjust to expect local councils and communities to administer and bear the brunt of a tax that should rightly be managed by the State Government.”
Council also raised fears that CFA and SES volunteers — many of whom reside locally — “feel penalised by a levy that may charge them for services they generously deliver for free.”
The State also unveiled a Drought Response Taskforce led by Premier Jacinta Allan, but Whittlesea’s position is clear: “We will continue to stand with our farming families, our volunteers, our businesses, and our residents. Their voices must be heard.”
The state government was contacted for comment.
