Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF)

From 1 July 2025, the Victorian Government will require all ratepayers to pay the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF).

This will replace the current Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL) and collected as part of your 2025/26 rates.

Like the FSPL, the ESVF will be calculated based on a fixed charge that varies by property type, and a variable charge based on property type and value.

The calculated average increase in ESVF payments for City of Ballarat ratepayers will be:

• 29% for residential. From $182 in 2024/25 to $235 in 2025/26
• 47% for industrial land. From $944 in 2024/25 to $1,385 in 2025/26
• 75% for commercial. From $1,043 in 2024/25 to $1,830 in 2025/26

On 30 May 2025, the State Government announced that the increase in the rate charged on primary production land would be delayed until 2026/27. This means that in 2025/26, Victorian farmers will pay at the same rate that they did under the FSPL in 2024/25.

It is anticipated that in 2026/27, the calculated average increase in ESVF payments on primary production land will be 97 per cent. From $738 in 2025/26 to $1,455 in 2026/27. 

ESVF charges will vary from one property to another, based on property value and property type.

For detailed information on the ESVF rates visit sro.vic.gov.au/esvfrates

To speak with someone about the ESVF and discuss the impact the fund is having on you as a ratepayer, please phone the ESVF support line on 1300 819 033.

The $50 pensioner and veteran concession, and the single farm enterprise exemption from the FSPL, will continue to apply under the ESVF.
In addition, certain emergency services volunteers will be eligible for a rebate on their principal place of residence, farmland or single farming enterprise. 

The Department of Government Services manages the Eligible Volunteers Rebate Scheme.

A Frequently Asked Questions guide is available to download, containing further details about rebates.

Ratepayers cannot choose to only pay rates and not the ESVF as Council is required by law to apportion any payments received between Council rates and the ESVF.

Ratepayers who are experiencing difficulty paying their rates and charges are able to apply for consideration under Council's Financial Hardship Policy.

Ballarat City Council has advocated on behalf of our community since the new fund was first announced, noting the substantial increase will place an undue financial burden on all of us, at a time when our community can least afford it.

• In February 2025, City of Ballarat Mayor Councillor Tracey Hargreaves wrote to the Treasurer of Victoria calling on the government to rethink the charge.
• An opinion piece was published in The Courier, outlining key concerns Council has with the fund.
• In May, councillors stood on the steps of Parliament House alongside CFA volunteers, farmers and other concerned Victorians to protest the fund.
• At the May 2025 Council Meeting, Ballarat City Council unanimously moved a Notice of Motion confirming Council's strong opposition to the ESVF.
• Mayor Tracey Hargreaves recorded a video statement expressing Council’s view.
• In October, City of Ballarat joined forces with Rural Councils Victoria and the Municipal Association of Victoria to be part of one of the most powerful demonstrations of local government unity in recent years — with all 79 Victorian councils standing together against the ESVF.