Bit of a heads up you're on the Western Freeway. We had a call come through before anytime you want to join the show. Actually, thirteen twenty four to ten, Pete from Melton said he saw about thirty fire trucks heading in to the city, driving side by side, no sirens but lights on. All for a very good reason.
CFA gathering in the city CFA farmers as well. This is to protest the state government's new Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund. It's a new levee which is being introduced. It's going to gross basically an extra two billion dollars. But clearly people are furius, especially farmers and those who live in Regional Victoria, because they'll they'll be forking out for a levee which helps fund the CFA.
And the farmers have to pay for it.
Yep, because what is there argument saying, well, it's rural properties, that's where the.
And Regional Victoria are the ones that are going to be stumping up for our seats.
Are doing it so tough anyway.
And someone who will be at the protest this morning is Wimmer farmer Andrew Weedeman. Good morning morning, yeah.
Good yeah, good morning, goes how Are we all to thank.
You on the way to the protest this morning?
Yes, No, I'm already in the city and obviously doing a bit of media around this this morning. That yeah, we've got quite a lot of people coming from are parts of Victoria. But I want to make it very clear this is every asset owner here in Melbourne is also affected by more than one hundred percent in most cases increased in their own shy rape notices or the
what was formally the fire services levy component. But now what the government has done has actually put all of the emergency services in under one umbrella and it's now increased that. And for us as farmers, we had a seventy five percent increase on the fire services levy last year.
It was one hundred and eighty nine percent more this year and expected, you know, in my own case, you know we're going to be going from twenty five grand in fire services levy to well over fifty thousand dollars a studident space of twelve months.
Stupid question before this got raised, who was paying for it?
So originally the buy services levy was actually paid by every insure everybody that owns the property anywhere in Victoria. And now what they've done has bundled all of the emergency services in which was funded from consolidated revenue. Now, look, I know the listeners know quite well and we all know quite well how bad the government's been in its expenditure. It's management of expenditure on big projects where they've overrun, and now they're trying to tack. What's clear, Victoria.
It's clear that your blood's boiling, Andrew, and for good reason, because you're hurting. Right. How much are you and your your friends and family herding in the regions?
Well, I think you're going to see that express today. I mean, we're already forty percent up on numbers of trucks. I just heard you mention there's thirty, there's fifty coming in from the Western Highway, there's another forty coming in on the Colder, and then there's another twenty to five to thirty coming in on the hum. And you've got to remember we've joined today with all of the Melbournians
here United Firefighters Union, Peter Marshall's group. We're combining with them in this rally and they've been amazing in terms of helping and supporting all of the people that we all work side by side together with.
Now and I just want to remind people for anybody to be stuck in this traffic on the way to work, right, go bloody oh is this really that important? How have you got to do it?
It really does that important?
You guys get hit with these levees, your costs go up, it's going to be handed down to us.
Correct, absolutely, I mean that's exactly what it is. I mean, but everybody's sitting in the car that owns a property in Victoria, they've got one hundred percent increase as well. So they've all got a stake in the game here, absolutely they have, and that's expected to keep increasing. And this was normally all of these services were funder some consolidated revenue and the insurance component until twenty twelve used to be charged interimntly. But look it was a fair system.
We have in placed under the fire services levy component. But this has just been an absolute cash graph via broke labor government.
Andrew, I'm outside of this. Our farmers are in the news a lot at the moment because Victorian farmers are doing of bloody tough. We've had no rain where we're hearing about it a lot more. There's huge issues with livestock because there's not enough feed. How are you going? The reality of this is really grim, isn't it.
Yeah, look it is. I mean, combined with poor government policy putting pressure on a lot of people, the mental health and well being of the state is really under pressure. And not only farmers. You've got the impact of all of the ancillary businesses that are attached to agriculture right across Victoria are also suffering a lot of mental health stress at the people are not spending any money either,
even here in Melbourne. I mean even here in Melbourne there will be businesses that are suffering because of poor government policy and the expenditure and we don't have the will pocket and guess what, we've just got another lot taken out.
There will be some people, though, Andrew that say why do you have to shut down the city?
Look good?
There will be plenty of people, But we have to make a point I mean, and the point will be made quite strongly today and I can probably Garran see you that this will be a day there historically you'll be talking to your grandkids about because this is the day rural Victoria has woken up. It's coming to the city and it's here to make a set and we'll
be back powerful words. Repeal it. It doesn't. We're asking for moratorium and the parliamentary inquiry into the effect today and that's what we're ask is of the government.
All right, Andrew, thanks for jumping on, Andrew. I hope it's safe out there and everyone looks after each other as well.
Yeah, just take it easy on the roads. A lot of emotions.
I'd say avoid the city.
Yeah, absolutely, avoid the city if you can, if you can.
I love our farmers and they are doing a bull bloody tough at the.
Moment, Lauren, Lauren, wake up feeling good.
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