$30M CFA grants raise eyebrows amid rural levy anger

Volunteer emergency services across Victoria will be able to access $30 million in grants through the state government’s Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP), announced on Tuesday morning. 

The funding—double last year’s amount—aims to support “hardworking volunteers” with “better equipment, vehicles, and station upgrades”.

Emergency Services minister Vicki Ward confirmed the increased support as part of a broader $62 million investment over four years, funded by the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. 

Eligible groups, which include local CFA brigades and SES units, can now apply for grants of up to $250,000. The state government will contribute $2 for every $1 raised locally.

And while tensions between local farmers, volunteers and the state government continue, some CFA members remain skeptical of the government’s motives behind these latest announcements.

Volunteer skepticism

Chocolyn CFA Brigade secretary Leigh Harry told the Brolga on Tuesday that while grants were welcomed, he worried they may be used as a distraction.

“I would be skeptical, given the current situation, that they're probably trying to entice the CFA to quieten down, perhaps by offering some sweeteners,” he said.

The controversial Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund was announced in state parliament last month, and has been met with intense backlash from local CFA volunteers and farmers, with protests and rallies being held in response across the state.

The state government announced on Friday that all primary production properties in Victoria would not be subject to paying the increased rate on their land for the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund until the end of the 2025-26 financial year, effectively putting a 12 month pause in place.

Harry said although there has been a pause in the increased levy rate for farmers, local volunteers and the state’s opposition still want to see the levy scrapped altogether. 

“We know in 12 months time we're going to be hit. Smaller properties might only be a few hundred dollars, but up north, in the Wimmera and Mallee, where there'd be extensive properties, the levy could be tens of thousands of dollars.

“There are dairy farmers in this area at the moment spending thousands of dollars every day on feed and water,” Harry said. “They're reaching desperate times if they haven't already.”

Despite welcoming the additional grant funding, Harry remains wary, as fundraising remains a challenge.

“As a secretary of a small rural brigade, we are familiar with these grants; in the past, they've been a $1 dollar match, and they're available to apply for anything from extensions to your shed facilities, to new trucks,” Harry said. “But it's difficult to raise money as a local brigade.”