Advocating for our community: new tax concerns and local achievements

FEBRUARY has been a month of celebrations and also some concerning reasons to come together to advocate for our community. Council was alarmed to hear that a new tax will be introduced by the state government. The new tax is called the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund and replaces the existing Fire Services Property Levy. The issue is that this tax unfairly hits rural communities. This ESVF is a significant increase over the existing levy (FSPL), particularly in the primary production (farming) areas, which could see an increase of around three times the existing levy. All ratepayers will incur this tax and in Mansfield Shire alone this could mean an additional $2 million in property taxes. Regional communities, such as ours, have a high proportion of primary producers. This tax transfers the burden of this cost to our community members. All of them, but especially to the primary producers. This increased tax is an excessive burden during the cost-of-living crisis, with implications for the economic health of the Mansfield Shire community. On top of this, council are being asked to collect it – this is unfair. We are very careful with how we spend ratepayers' money. We have delivered exceptional value for money in every decision we make while trying to keep the cost of governing low for our ratepayers. To now have to ask our community members to cough up this massive spike on top of rates is unreasonable. It’s not fair to tax our primary producers who will be asked to carry the brunt of this tax. It’s not fair on our communities – these are hard times, and raising a tax now, directly to households but also to those who put food on the table of those households – both of these factors will take a hit on family budgets. And it’s not fair on us, either, to be put in the position where we are the ones who have to collect the tax on behalf of the state government when we don’t agree with it in the first place. In addition to this new tax, in February council also saw that the state government had released information about new planning reforms. The plan diminishes the power of local government and makes it harder for councils to work toward the vision of communities. It forces local governments to unlock more housing zones rather than working towards getting those existing zones developed. We don’t need land unlocked in Mansfield Shire. What we need is for the state to consider addressing the real issues at the core of the housing supply shortage – the taxes that keep the developers from being able to develop their land. Council is happy to see that there is work being done to address the housing shortage. However, we are always going to advocate for planning powers to remain local. The state government is not the best-placed level of government to understand the unique needs of a community. Only local government can listen and act on behalf of our community. We take our advocacy seriously and will continue to listen and act on behalf of our community. In better news, we had some great opportunities to come together and celebrate as a community this month. We were grateful to the Merton Recreation and Memorial Hall Reserves Committee for their certificate of recognition, which they sent to thank us for our support in establishing the Mansfield Skate Park. The Merton Skate Jam Grand Opening was held on Saturday, 22 February, and was a great day. The Outlying Communities Infrastructure Fund, which supports community projects, helped to fund the project, and it was great to celebrate with the community members who led the initiative. This is one of the ways council supports and encourages a healthy, active, and connected community. I was also grateful to visit The Farmhouse childcare centre. It’s great to understand how families within our community can access the services they need. Thank you to Kim Stoney for inviting council and for showing me around. Council also began its work on the Council Plan. The Council Plan sets out exactly what council will work to achieve over its four-year term. It guides our decision-making and sets our strategic goals. Look out for opportunities to have your say on the work we do for the next four years at council by visiting engage.mansfield.vic.gov.au.