Labor playing with fire

The Rockliff Liberal Government is committed to reforming Tasmania’s Fire and Emergency Services so that our hardworking emergency responders have best-practice governance and funding arrangements in place that support them to keep Tasmanians safe.  

Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, has been meeting with Tasmania’s first responders, business, industry, community and local government representatives and through a series of working groups have found significant common ground on the need for reform.

At the most recent Working Group meeting in December, the following principles were agreed:

•    Tasmania’s emergency risk profile has and is changing; 
•    Our emergency services need to be appropriately and sustainably resourced; 
•    The current funding model is not fit for purpose; 
•    A sustainable funding model is required;
•    A property-based levy is the most suitable funding model basis; 
•    The funding model should be simple and able to be understood;
•    The funding model and levy should be transparent including how the levy has been calculated and what is it for;
•    The levy funds will be applied to both prevention and response;
•    The funding model should ensure a broad contribution – we all need to contribute to a service we benefit from;
•    Cost-shifting should be minimised; and
•    There needs to be a transition period with any implementation of changes. 

Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis said the Government will use these principles to underpin further financial modelling and continue direct engagement with key stakeholders as part of this process. This will include further meetings with the Working Group and community meetings across the State, following the conclusion of public consultation on the TFES Consultation Bill on 1 December 2023. 

“This is a major step forward to fixing emergency services levies which everyone knows has been broken for decades,” Mr Ellis said. 

“I look forward to continuing to work with all Tasmanians and my colleagues to deliver this reform and ensure we can properly fund our emergency services for a more challenging future.”

Ms O’Byrne’s recent commentary show that some within the Labor camp understand the need for reform, but it clearly shows Labor are now divided on whether our emergency services deserve fair, sustainable funding.

Even NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns has recently announced they will follow Tasmania’s lead on reform to fire levies to fairer and more sustainable funding. 

This leaves a rump of Tasmanian Labor as the only ones in Australia who oppose these reforms which are so vital in facing up to a future of more frequent and severe natural disasters.

While Tasmania Labor have been fighting among themselves and remaining noncommittal to any constructive pathway forward, the Rockliff Liberal Government has been meeting with our first responders, business, industry, community and local government representatives and found significant common ground on the need for reform.