FIREYS GET REPRIEVE
State government has now ‘washed their hands of the volunteers’
RATEPAYERS will continue to pay a $2 levy to help struggling rural fire brigades as a bitter funding war rages with the state government.
Councillors have also backed a move for Mayor Tom Tate to again write to the Premier and Fire Services Minister seeking a four-month extension of the council’s contract with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, despite previous appeals falling on deaf ears.
Cr Tate said an interim measure to ask Gold Coasters to pay $2 a year from their rates to fund our heroes would have to continue because the State “have washed their hands’’ of them.
RATEPAYERS will continue to pay a $2 levy to help struggling rural fire brigades as a bitter funding war rages with the state government.
Councillors have also backed a move for Mayor Tom Tate to again write to the Premier and Fire Services Minister seeking a fourmonth extension of the council’s contract with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
A full council meeting on Tuesday was told Cr Tate’s appeals to the Premier in March and October last year, when the state announced it would not negotiate a new contract on bushfire management, “have all gone unanswered”.
Councillors moved to restore community faith on emergency services by voting to continue its $2 annual levy on ratepayers, which raises around $274,000 annually.
The government manages an emergency fire levy across Queensland, and while council has to collect it, it does not provide operational funding to rural fire brigades.
“This leaves our rural fire volunteer brigades well short of the funds they need to keep us all safe,’’ Cr Tate said.
“In recent years, we have asked all Gold Coasters to pay $2 a year from their rates to fund these community heroes.
“We did this in what we thought would be an interim measure until the state government realised the importance of the rural fire brigades, and sufficiently funded them through their own levy.
“Sadly, that hasn’t been the case and the state have washed their hands of the volunteers, leaving us with little choice but to continue with our annual $2 levy.
“I’m also disappointed the state government has now advised they will no longer support our partnership on bushfire management, placing even more pressure on our rural services to sufficiently back-burn and conduct proactive work in our bushfire zones.”
Helensvale-based councillor William Owen-Jones recalled former Newman government changes led to council becoming the “collection agency” from 2013.
About $49.1m was collected in 2013, increasing to $76.5m in the last financial year.
Rural ratepayers in the beginning were being “slogged” an extra $80 for an emergency services fee until council introduced a $2 levy for all ratepayers to even out the burden.
“I think this motion effectively signals to the brigades that one, they are important, and two, the city will continue to collect their operational costs,” Cr Owen-Jones said.
“But I think the ratepayers need to be very aware there are two levies we are collecting, both of them effectively for fire services.”
Mudgeeraba-based councillor Glenn Tozer agreed with Cr Owen-Jones, admitting rural fire brigade members had faced a season of uncertainty with some feeling the council was not backing them.
“I know that not to be true. I know there are residents in Lower Beechmont right now who are still feeling anxious and scared about fire because of what they went through 12 months ago,” he said.
“We can do better and I’m glad we’ve raised this today.”