News

Media Release

May 30, 2017

Firefighters welcome Berejiklian Govt’s fire levy backdown

The Fire Brigade Employees’ Union of NSW (FBEU), has welcomed the Premier’s announcement today that the Government’s controversial Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) has been postponed indefinitely.

“Today’s announcement is proof positive that the Premier and her Government got this billion dollar new tax hopelessly wrong,” said FBEU Secretary Leighton Drury.

“They had 6 years, an inquiry and interstate precedent to get this right, and yet they completely stuffed it.”

“The FESL is a bad tax, and the wrong way to go. It doesn’t need further review and tinkering, it needs to be scrapped.”

“The real question is why we need a levy at all? The FBEU agrees with the growing call for our fire services to be funded from consolidated revenue, just like police and other core public services.”