On 19 March 2025, over 120 concerned community members attended a public meeting at the Winiam Hall. Several motions were moved during this meeting, leading to the formation of the West Wimmera Action Group Inc. to address local concerns regarding the discussed issues.

On 27 January 2025, Western Victoria experienced its largest natural disaster, initiated by a lightning strike in the Little Desert National Park. The subsequent fire burned over 93,000 hectares of native scrublands, surrounding farmlands, buildings and hundreds of kilometres of fencing, threatening the townships of Dimboola and Goroke, leaving behind extensive destruction and many heavy hearts. This incident has raised significant questions about the management of the Little Desert National Park and the handling of the fire itself.

Recently, a covert licenced breeding facility on the edge of the Little Desert National Park was discovered. During the evacuation process during the fire, three dingoes escaped into the park, causing concern about apex predators now roaming an environment ravaged by a catastrophic fire. The impact on the Birds and wildlife that survived the fire is deeply troubling. There have been numerous suspected dingo sightings, some livestock losses, and questions regarding the presence of the dingoes need to be addressed.

Last December, the Victorian Government announced plans to replace the current Fire Services Property Levy included in rates with a new Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund (ESVF), effective 1 July 2025. See https://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/emergency-services-and-volunteers-fund for details. However, with an upcoming election, this initiative has been temporarily shelved but is expected to be presented again post-election.

The ESVF will fund up to 87.5 per cent of Fire Rescue Victoria’s (FRV) budget, and up to 95 per cent of the Country Fire Authority’s (CFA) budget. It is important to remember that CFA volunteers are not compensated. According to the CFA, previously, approximately $800 million was allocated to CFA with $20 million withheld by the government for emergencies. In 2025-26, approx. $320 million is to be allocated to CFA, with $67.5 million withheld by the government. This means increased costs for local rural communities while CFA receives significantly less.

In addition, the ESVF will finance up to 95 per cent of the budgets of various emergency services entities, including Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES); Triple Zero Victoria; State Control Centre; Emergency Recovery Victoria; Emergency Management Victoria; Emergency Alert Program; Emergency Management Operational Communication Program; Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic), and its support functions within the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action. These entities have previously been funded by the government through a more equitable system, consisting of the fire Services levy and state and federal funding, but now the burden is falling largely on rural landowners and businesses.

Why the change? So, they can justify extracting an additional $3 million from just the Hindmarsh Shire (Population 5660), taking the total to $5 million annually. Imagine the benefits this amount could bring if retained within our Shire. The Government has mandated the Shires to collect this money for them through our rates system and employ debt collectors to recover unpaid amounts.

While your primary place of residence owned personally (not by a business or company) will see a levy increase of about 16 per cent, (imagine this as an interest rate rise), businesses including rental properties will face an approximate 35 per cent increase, and farmers will be most impacted with a substantial 164 per cent increase or more. Yet, Council Shire rate rises are capped at 3 per cent.

Regrettably, as little as 10 per cent might be returned to assist our local Emergency Services, if we are fortunate. Ninety per cent of the total collected from this new levy/tax across Victoria will come from regional and rural areas. We must prevent this exploitation of our rural communities to benefit urban bureaucracy.

If you wish to become a member of the West Wimmera Action Group Inc., have contributions, photos, or data that could be useful, please contact John at 0429 919 223 or Jennifer at 0428 593 351.

This article appeared in Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 30 April 2025.