The Fire and Emergency Services Levy report has been released by the Portfolio Committee No. 4 – Legal Affairs.
The report was tabled on Friday 30 November 2018, it is available on the Parliament NSW website, along with submissions, transcripts of evidence and other documents associated with the inquiry.
The report and its recommendations are now with the government for consideration.
On the 15th of November 2018, the Upper House resolved that Standing Order 233 be varied so as to require that the government provide the response to the committee’s report by the 28th of February 2019.
The VFFA made the following contributions:
4.20 The VFFA continues to support a broad-based property levy. We feel, in principle, it is a fairer system.
2.54 According to certain stakeholders, a related concern was the ‘rapidly escalating’ costs for the Rural Fire Service.
Mr Michael Holton, President, Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, stated:
We believe that the expenditure of emergency services has skyrocketed and has got out of control.
Firefighting has become big business. That is an area that the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association is also concerned about. We look at many areas, including aviation and other specialised areas that are coming at a great cost to taxpayers.
Click pdf icon to download a copy of the report