Emergency Services Levy
The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), which replaced the Fire Services Property Levy from 1 July 2025, charged to all property owners…
What it is
he Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), which replaced the Fire Services Property Levy from 1 July 2025, charged to all property owners; Coalition pledges to scrap it and revert to the FSPL (1).
Evidence
PBO figures (obtained by opposition): Victorians pay avg $221/person vs $177 national average; the Nationals cite $6.8bn over four years (Hansard). A CFA volunteer's farm bill rose from ~$8,000 to $35,000; others cited $90,000-$100,000 (1). ~500 firefighters rallied in Bendigo (June 2026); the levy is a "volatile" regional issue with "deepening political implications" (1). East Gippsland Shire placed ESVF reform at the centre of its election advocacy, joining Rural Councils Victoria and MAV (2).
Where it bites
Rural/regional and farming seats — Bendigo, central Victoria, Gippsland, Wimmera, the Mallee; also metro property owners but politically sharpest in the country.
Who owns it
Coalition owns it (pledge to scrap), reinforced by Nationals' Danny O'Brien and Emma Kealy; Labor defends it as funding fire/SES/000 and a $100m truck program, and attacks the Coalition for "cutting" emergency services (1).
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