Advocacy against ESVF

Published on 01 May 2025

Pyrenees Shire Council continues to advocate on behalf of the community against the proposed Victorian Government Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF).

Council has placed a letter template for residents use on its website so they can write to the relevant Victorian Members of Parliament, objecting to the proposed levy.

In addition to objecting to the ESVF, Council has also communicated its opposition to the ESVF being collected as part of Council’s rates notices.

Mayor Cr Tanya Kehoe will also work with the Greater Ballarat Alliance of Council (GBAC) mayors to encourage the other 73 Victorian mayors to oppose the ESVF.

The letter which can be sent by residents to MPs reads:

“As a resident of Pyrenees Shire, I would like to protest the imposition of the new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy on taxpayers already burdened by increasing financial restraints.

While I fully support measures that enhance the capacity of emergency services volunteers and agencies to protect communities, this tax increase raises significant concerns for this community.

This new tax will be a sizeable increase over the existing FSPL and will particularly affect our farming community when they can least afford it.

In Pyrenees Shire, the primary production variable rate for the new ESVF will rise from 28.7 cents per $1000 CIV to 83 cents which is a massive hike during a cost-of-living crisis.

Our community is facing economic challenges including drought conditions, increased input costs for agriculture, and ongoing flood and fire recovery. The ESVF tax will worsen financial pressures, reduce local spending and compound economic stress in our largely rural area.

I believe this additional cost will disproportionately affect our community, where rising rates and cost-of-living pressures are heavily impacting residents, farmers and businesses.

I urge you to reconsider this extra financial impost on all taxpayers, but particularly farmers, during these difficult economic times.”

Residents have until May 13 to send a letter which is when the Victorian Government will consider approving the ESVF.

The letter template can be found at pyrenees.vic.gov.au/About-Pyrenees-Shire-Council/News-and-media/Emergency-Services-and-Volunteers-Fund-letter

Residents can also go to scrapthetax.com.au to register their opposition.