Monday,
14 July 2025
Cabonne gets $737,000 emergency services levy bill

Cabonne council needs to pay $737,179 for the emergency services levy in the coming financial year – an amount described as a significant burden at council’s May meeting.

Cabonne’s share of the levy has increased more than $36,000 or 4.9 per cent overall, that’s higher than the 4.4 per cent rate increase councils were given approval to impose on their ratepayers.

Since 2022, the cost has increased $248,691.

“It’s frustrating that we’re continuing to see that cost burden shifted upon us whilst trying to make ends meet for our communities,” Deputy Mayor Jamie Jones said when councillors were presented with the information in May, at the same meeting they adopted their budget.

The emergency services levy is partly imposed on councils to fund the Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Service and Fire and Rescue NSW.

The majority of council’s costs are for the RFS portion of the levy, which increased six per cent to $667,114 this year.

The Fire and Rescue portion increased nine per cent to $63,702 but the SES portion did decrease 15 per cent to $42,385.

The staff report to councillors said advocating for alternative strategies and solutions to passing on this levy was a major priority for Local Government NSW.

Cr Jones pointed out it continued to be passed on to councils even in the wake of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the ability of local governments to fund infrastructure and services.

One of the recommendations to come out of that was that the NSW Government identify opportunities to reduce cost shifting to local government and to undertake greater consultation with local government prior to making decisions that may result in cost shifting.

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“We all know costs have gone up for a number of things but it’s quite interesting to note that this report follows straight on from that inquiry,” Cr Jones said.

“I find it quite ironic and frustrating that the local government sector in NSW - and I know there’s a federal inquiry as well so I would say local government across Australia - including here in Cabonne, is struggling financially to be able to continue to maintain the services and improve our towns … it’s frustrating that we’re continuing to see that cost burden shifted upon us.”

The NSW Government announced a review into the way our emergency services are funded in 2023, showing the costs are borne by insurance companies (73.7 per cent), local government (11.7 per cent) and State government (14.6 per cent).

Consultation on that closed in May 2024.

A spokesman for the Treasurer said work on the reform was progressing.

"We are committed to finding a fairer way to fund our emergency services," the spokesperson said.

"For too long this reform has been in the too-hard basket for NSW, but we have a significant opportunity to make the system fairer and more sustainable through careful work.”