A Liberal and Nationals Government will deliver 335 new CFA fire trucks over five years, 17 new and upgraded fire stations and a major volunteer recruitment drive, with the $200 million statewide commitment announced in Longwood on Monday.
As part of the commitment, Longwood will receive a new fire truck, and Strathbogie will receive a new fire station after the brigade sat on the CFA’s critical top-priority list for more than a decade under Labor.
“Strathbogie’s volunteers have no toilet, no proper storage for chemicals, and they’re running their brigade out of a neighbour’s garage. It is the definition of an unsafe work environment,” the Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, said.
“They’ve been waiting more than ten years for a new station. Labor has had every opportunity to fix it and has done nothing.
“Only a Liberal and Nationals Government will get on with the job and actually build it.”
Ms Cleeland joined Leader of the Opposition Jess Wilson and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Danny O’Brien for the announcement, saying it was fitting it was made in a region still rebuilding after the January bushfire.
“Longwood knows better than most what it means to face a major bushfire. A new truck for the Longwood brigade, and making this announcement here, sends a clear message that regional communities and the volunteers who protect them will be at the centre of a Liberal and Nationals Government,” she said.
“These volunteers give up their time, put themselves in dangerous situations and leave their families behind to help others. They deserve modern equipment and safe facilities to do that job.”
The commitment, independently costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, will:
- Deliver 335 new CFA fire trucks over five years, including a new truck for Longwood, building towards 100 trucks annually and retiring single-cab trucks within 10 years.
- Deliver 17 new and upgraded CFA stations, including a new station for Strathbogie.
- Establish a ministerial consultative group to help identify investment priorities and support a target of recruiting 10,000 volunteers over a decade.
- Create an Emergency Services Volunteer Ombudsman to advocate for volunteers and help mediate disputes.
The need for investment is clear, with the Victorian Auditor-General finding 57 per cent of CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria trucks are at least 15 years old.
CFA operational volunteer numbers have also fallen by 26 per cent over the past decade, while around 802 CFA tankers remain single-cab vehicles, leaving firefighters exposed to heat, smoke and dust.
The new truck program will begin on 1 July 2027.
“We cannot take our volunteers for granted. We need to invest in the people and equipment that protect our communities before the next emergency happens, not after,” Ms Cleeland said.
A Liberal and Nationals Government will also scrap Labor’s Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund tax and restore the former Fire Services Property Levy model, providing relief to Victorians while backing the volunteers who protect their communities.
