Media Releases

Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh said he was pleased to hear the lawyers for the Bushfires Royal Commission have joined with the Liberal Nationals Coalition in acknowledging the current Fire Services Levy (FSL) model is inequitable and should be changed.
“For a long time I have been calling for changes to the Fire Service Levy (FSL) and I welcome the Counsel Assisting’s submission to the Royal Commission today which states that the current FSL model should be abandoned,” Mr Walsh said.
Mr Walsh said the current FSL, which funded fire services including the Country Fire Authority, was grossly unfair in its current form because it encouraged people to under-insure or not insure at all.
“Only those who take out insurance actually contribute to fire services by way of an additional tax on insurance premiums,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Brumby Government has refused to act despite growing anger and frustration over the FSL expressed by businesses and home owners.
“The Brumby Government has known for years how unfair and inequitable the FSL is but it has done nothing – everyone except John Brumby acknowledges that his government’s Fire Services Levy is a tax.
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition in government is committed to implementing a fairer system than the one that currently stands,” Mr Walsh said.