The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has slammed Premier Jacinta Allan for refusing to justify why farmers are being charged up to four times more than other landholders under Labor’s new emergency services tax.
During the Parliamentary Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) Inquiry into the 2025 26 Budget Estimates, Ms Benham repeatedly asked the Premier to explain why primary producers were being unfairly targeted while facing the compounding pressures of drought, skyrocketing input costs and tightening margins.
“The Premier has chosen to make our farmers pay the highest price, without any justification,” Ms Benham said. “These are people who endure blood, sweat and tears to feed and clothe us, yet the Government chooses to punish them by taxing them more.
“When asked directly, the Premier had no answer. The Premier’s lack of regard speaks volumes about her priorities, and our primary producers are clearly not one of them.”
Ms Benham later addressed the Minister for Emergency Services, pressing for clarity around the base funding level for the Country Fire Authority (CFA), a basic figure she said should be transparent and readily available. The Minister was unable to provide an answer.
“If this tax is truly about supporting our emergency services, then the Minister should be able to clearly state what the base level of funding for the CFA is,” Ms Benham said. “Labor’s continued evasive answers only reinforce the fact that they cannot explain or defend this decision.”
Ms Benham said the government continues to dodge critical questions, revealing that the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund is not about strengthening services, but about repairing a broken budget caused by Labor’s financial mismanagement.
“Labor can’t manage taxes, it can’t manage emergency services and regional Victorians are paying the price.”
