Hundreds of regional firefighters rally against levy in Bendigo

Hundreds of regional Victorian firefighters have turned out for a rally in Bendigo to voice concerns over a number of issues including increased financial pressures.

An ABC reporter at the rally said a song featuring the controversial slogan "ditch the witch" directed at Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, which has been widely condemned as sexist, has been played over loudspeakers at the event.

The protesters want the controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), introduced last year, and charged to all property owners, scrapped.

The levy aims to raise revenue for fire services, the SES, the Triple Zero (000) call centre and the State Control Centre, but has been met with sustained frustration from farmers since its announcement , as they face potential increases of tens of thousands of dollars.

CFA volunteer from Corack, David Brennan, was among the 500 people who attended the rally.

He said he was frustrated with the state government's tax on volunteers.

David Brennan and David George were among the CFA volunteers protesting about the Victorian government's emergency services and volunteer levy in Bendigo. ( ABC News: Tyrone Dalton )

"We go and put our life on the line to go and fight for our neighbours … and now [Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan] goes and taxes us," he said.

He said he believed the Victorian government was not handling its finances well and regional Victorians were bearing the brunt.

"Our government couldn't run a small business. They're in financial trouble and when they're in financial trouble, they make stupid decisions. They've made a stupid decision on this tax, which we're fighting back on.

"They have not realised how the country works. We stick up for each other."

He said his brigade's six remaining members were using a 28-year-old truck, and money gathered by the government was not flowing back and being spent on services.

David George was a volunteer for more than 50 years, and he had travelled from Lake Goldsmith to attend the rally.

He said he was protesting about the levy, as it would see the bill for his farm skyrocket from a "manageable" $8,000 to $35,000.

More than 500 people have rallied against the controversial emergency services and volunteers fund in Bendigo. ( ABC News: Tryone Dalton )

"No-one can afford that. I know blokes [whose bills] are going to [between] $90,00 to $100,000," he said.

"What for? We put the fires out."

Mr George said volunteers would continue to oppose the levy.

"I hope people realise this is not the end of it. We're going to be bigger than ever before," he said.

"Everyone has had a gutful."

Chris Cooke from the Pyalong CFA brigade said the tax will affect farmers.

"It's also an ethical thing, too; charging people fighting the fires an inordinate amount in tax compared to people in cities who are paying a lot less. It's not equal in terms of how it's going to be levied," he said.

Chris Cooke says volunteers are key to fighting fires. ( ABC News: Tyrone Dalton )

"I think [the state government] has forgotten this is a volunteer organisation. If they keep going the way they're going, they're going to lose a lot of this volunteer force, which is very important to Victoria."

State opposition vows to 'scrap the tax'

This comes as a new report reveals Victorians are the highest-taxed for emergency services in the country.

Parliamentary Budget Office figures obtained by the state opposition show each Victorian now pays an average of $221 in an emergency services levy per year, compared to the national average of $177 per person.

Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Danny O'Brien said the higher emergency services tax brought in last year has not resulted in better resources or improved response times for fire services.

"We've made it very clear that we scrap the tax and go back to the old fire services property levy," he said.

"It was a fair tax that ensured that our CFA and FRV are well resourced.

"We'd also ensure that our other agencies like the SES continue to be well resourced but we don't need to do that by taxing Victorians."

A Victorian government spokesperson said in a statement that "every dollar" from the fund was invested back into emergency services.

"Our CFA and Victorian State Emergency Services volunteers give up their time to protect and support Victorians. That's why we're making sure eligible volunteers will get a rebate in recognition of their service," the spokesperson said.

"The Nationals and Liberals have already announced they will cut funding to our emergency services which will put the community at risk."

In 2026/2027, the levy is expected to bring in an additional $46 million in funding to the CFA, an additional $29 million to the VIC SES, and an additional $68 million to Fire Rescue Victoria.

'Left to fend for ourselves'

Firefighting has become an increasingly volatile issue across regional Victoria, with deepening political implications.

One rally organiser, Marong CFA captain Michael Shay, who battled t…