CFA protests explained: why farmers and fireys are furious over the Emergency Services Levy

Name: CFA protests explained: why farmers and fireys are furious over the Emergency Services Levy
Uploaded: 2025-05-21T05:14:50+00:00
Duration: 3 min
Channel: Australian Community Media
Description: Victorian volunteer firefighters have taken to protests, gone offline and set uniforms alight in anger over a new tax that hits rural communities hardest. Here's why the protests matter and why it could spell the end of the CFA. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

Australian Community Media

5/21/2025

Victorian volunteer firefighters have taken to protests, gone offline and set uniforms alight in anger over a new tax that hits rural communities hardest. Here's why the protests matter and why it could spell the end of the CFA. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

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00:00This is going to impact our region significantly with around $5.2 million extra ripped out of our

00:07local economy out of the hands of farmers. That's just the farming community.

00:11Volunteer firefighters across Victoria have taken a dramatic stand going offline and

00:16torching their uniforms to protest a new fire levy passed by the state government.

00:20With Jacinda Allen's new tax, there's 20 years of experience in the CFA getting burnt,

00:28never to be used ever again.

00:31More than 160 CFA brigades pulled their trucks from service after the emergency services and

00:36volunteers levy replaced the old fire services levy on the 16th of May.

00:41Yeah, we've come here to Melbourne today to protest because we've been stabbed in the back.

00:46The government has literally done a back clip on us and we're now paying to fight our own fires.

00:53They are just ripping off farmers left, right and centre and we can't afford it.

00:57We're in a drought situation. It's just an unfair tax that we've been put on a burden to all farmers.

01:03Oh look, it's just totally ridiculous really. It should be scrapped. We're the guys that put

01:08the fires out. We've got to pay a fire levy tax and they're increasing it to a ridiculous amount.

01:15And I think it proves today how many people are upset about it.

01:19The biggest backlash has come from farmers who say the new charges unfairly target them with

01:25bills in the tens of thousands for land they already defend themselves. The levy comes on top

01:30of existing rates and private insurance, prompting outrage in regional communities.

01:35The farmers are the back bait. The people are leaving the shops. The people who run the supermarkets

01:40and the butchers, the scurls, the bus drivers, they are the backbone of the rural community.

01:46Volunteer CFA, a very large percentage are farmers and farmers are hit with the highest rate increase

01:53of tax. That tax will be felt by everybody because they'll have to put their prices up.

02:00These members put their heart and soul on many, many hours for free and there's no remuneration at all.

02:07Here's why this matters. In much of country Victoria, CFA volunteers are the front line when disaster

02:14strikes. If they quit, entire communities are left exposed. In some towns, every CFA truck has gone

02:20offline. Fieries say they are not walking away lightly. They feel abandoned after years of unpaid

02:26service. Their message is simple. Rural volunteers are not cash cows.

02:31This tax is to hurt those who are already hurt. It's to hurt those who contribute most to our

02:37economy, to our livelihoods, to look after our land. This is just an evil tax that needs

02:42to just be knocked on the head by today. We fight. We keep going. We do not forgive

02:47the cause. Cheers for the farmers! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray!

02:54Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay! Hip! Hoay!

CFA protests explained: why farmers and fireys are furious over the Emergency Services Levy

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