Vic govt ticks new fire tax

The Victorian government has rejected a controversial buyout of properties in
high-risk bushfire areas, but has agreed to a new fire services tax.
Premier John Brumby on Friday announced the government would support 60 of the
bushfires royal commission's 67 recommendations, but again baulked at suggestions
all the state's ageing electricity infrastructure should be progressively replaced.
After earlier this month declaring it would support 59 of the commission's
recommendations, the government embarked on a series of community consultations to
help it decide on the others.
On Friday, following the release of the Teague commission's final report, Mr Brumby
said the government would support the new fire services tax and recommendations
restricting development in areas at risk of bushfires.
It partially supported five other proposals.
But the commission's recommendation to resettle people willing to leave high-risk
bushfire locations was rejected.
One of the reasons given was that the risk of bushfires could increase if some
blocks were left vacant by those leaving while other property owners remained.
"The reality is that if you applied this in some areas it would actually increase
the fire risk, not reduce it," Mr Brumby told reporters on Friday.
He said it would be too costly to replace all the ageing power lines across
Victoria, as recommended in the commission's final report into the Black Saturday
bushfires of February 7, 2009, that claimed 173 lives and left more than 400
injured.
"The reality is the cost of doing that would be huge for all Victorians," Mr Brumby
said.
"It's not possible to accept the whole of the commission's recommendation."
Instead, the government agreed to set up a taskforce to "investigate options" to
reduce the risks of catastrophic bushfires and spend $2 million researching
alternatives to putting power lines underground.
Five of the 11 big fires on February 7, 2009 - including the Kilmore East blaze that
killed 119 people - were caused by failed electricity equipment.
The commission's final report recommended all the state's ageing power lines be
progressively replaced with either underground cables, aerial bundled cable or other
technology, with an emphasis on replacing those in areas of high bushfire risk
within 10 years.
A new fire services tax to be paid by all Victorian home owners to fund the state's
firefighting effort won widespread support.
Currently, the fire service levy is charged on insurance holders' premiums, funding
the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) to the tune of
almost $600 million a year.
Victorian Treasurer John Lenders promised taxpayers would not be hit more under the
new plan.
"The average person will pay the same, or, in fact, less, because the burden is
being spread among the non-insured," he said.
The new scheme was welcomed by insurance companies, farmers and the Real Estate
Institute of Victoria.
But environmentalists were alarmed by the government's decision to almost triple the
number of planned burns each year.
The government will spend more than $380 million over four years to increase the
annual target from 130,000 hectares to 385,000 hectares, or five per cent of public
land, in line with the commission's recommendations.
The Wilderness Society said it had significant concerns over the five per cent target.
"While planned burns must put the protection of lives first, it needs to be done
right or there will be catastrophic consequences for wildlife and biodiversity," The
Wilderness Society's Richard Hughes said in a statement.
State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu questioned the government's commitment to
implementing any changes and accused it of hesitating on several recommendations.
"They should have accepted them all in principle and got on with it, and tried to
find solutions, not tried to find excuses to not do things," Mr Baillieu told
reporters.
Under the government's $867 million investment in bushfire reforms announced on
Friday, almost $200 million will go towards hiring more CFA and MFB career
firefighters.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment will gain an additional 230
seasonal firefighters and 170 firefighting staff.