The latest in a series of regional protests against the Labor Government took place in Pakenham on Tuesday night.
The “Not In Our Name – Scrap The Tax” rally held on September 16, was organised by Meg Edwards, Nathan Murphy, and Cr Trudi Paton from Cardinia Shire Council.
Residents gathered at the Community Centre to voice their opposition to the new emergency services tax, sending a clear message that “this unfair tax must be repealed.”
There was a strong presence of local councillors including City of Casey Cr Shane Taylor and Cr Michelle Crowther, as well as La Trobe City Council’s Cr Adele Pugsley.
Cardinia Shire Council’s Deputy Mayor Cr Alanna Pomeroy attended, while former Mayor Bill Ronald made a surprise appearance. Apologies were noted from Cr David Nickell and Cr Brett Owen.
Mayor of Baw Baw Shire Danny Goss addressed the Cardinia crowd, saying “100 per cent” of his councillors support the local government opposition to being forced to act as unpaid tax collectors for the State Government. He was joined by Cr Jess Hamilton, Cr Brendan Kingwill, and Cr Adam Sheehan.
A large contingent of volunteer and paid firefighters, farmers, small business owners, parents and pensioners worried about the cost of living and the community turned up in numbers to participate.
Pensioner Marg reflected on the strain of rising costs despite her rebates:
“I’m not keeping ahead with things, I’m going backwards. “I’m not going to survive. I’ll probably end up sitting in my little home all alone and just die because I can’t afford food.”
Locals expressed frustration at being “overlooked” and “dismissed” by a “city-centric” Labor government, saying it fails to adequately support regional communities.
The cuts to emergency services were also raised, including the ageing of firefighting equipment, with some trucks dependent on Melways maps instead of GPS and lacking basic features such as air conditioning.
CFA firefighter Rob Mackie, a proud volunteer for 41 years, is also a small business owner, faced a 100 per cent increase on his fire services levy for his small factory in Cranbourne.
“I have to work four days just to pay extra government tax,” he said.
“If I take time off work, I don’t get paid because I am self-employed—no one will cover my wages. So if I go firefighting, I lose income.”
A local farmer highlighted the issue of rates and the new tax being calculated on the ‘capital improved value’ of a property.
Many properties have dramatically increased in value due to neighbouring land being purchased with expectations of rezoning for housing or commercial investment, yet these valuations bear no relation to actual farming income from the land.
Dairy farmer and co-founder of Gippsland Jersey, Steve Ronalds painted the reality: “we’re asked to fund government spending like sugar daddies”.
“Since the pandemic, our cost has soared – power, rates and compliance. We’ve had droughts, we’ve had fires, we’ve had covid and we’ve got now the fire service levy,” Ronald said.
“For me it has increased more than 50 percent in the last two years and we still haven’t got the real one hitting us yet.
“Farmers, small businesses, and families are the backbone of the nation. We don’t want handouts, just fairness. And if we thrive, the country thrives.”
Several speakers attempted to steer the rally off topic, creating tension. The discussion went beyond the levy, with issues raised including immigration, crime, machete bins, the Commonwealth Games, and the Greens–Labor deal.
Local farmer Simon from Meat Me At The Gate urged people to engage with voters rather than relying on the government.
“We need to have respectful conversations that end up in a learning mindset,” he said.
“It’s the voters that we need to talk to – we need to change people’s hearts and people’s ideas.”
Residents asked what councils could do if they refused to pay. Councillors explained that every council will be fined if the levy isn’t paid.
Shadow Minister Bev McArthur, Eastern Victoria MP Renee Heath, Libertarian MP David Limbrick, and Narracan MP Wayne Farnham heard directly from those affected, engaged with the community, and addressed the crowd.
The Liberal Party reiterated its pledge to ‘scrap the tax’ if elected in November 2026.
MP McArthur warned “communities like those who came together at Pakenham cannot be silenced, and they will continue to campaign tirelessly until this levy is finally removed”.
“My message to the Government is straightforward: the discontent in regional Victoria is not going away,” MP McArthur said.
“Having attended rallies like this previously, I know that unless Labor listens to these communities, more protests will follow.
“Emergency services should not be funded through a separate levy. Protecting the community is a fundamental responsibility of the government and should be financed through general taxation.”
