From 1 July 2025, the Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL) will be replaced by the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF).
The Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund is NOT a Council charge. It is a levy collected by Council on behalf of the State Government.
How much will I need to pay?
The ESVF will be calculated based on a fixed charge that varies by property type, and a variable charge based on property value.
|
Property Sector
|
Variable rate (cents per $1,000 CIV)
|
Fixed charge ($) |
Median liability ($)
|
|
Residential Primary Place of Residence
|
17.3
|
136 |
254 |
| Residential Non Primary Place of Residence |
17.3 |
136 |
254 |
|
Commercial Land
|
133
|
275 |
1,239 |
|
Industrial Land
|
133
|
275 |
1,246 |
|
Primary Production Land
|
28.7
|
275 |
629 |
|
Public Benefit Land
|
5.7
|
275 |
328 |
|
Vacant Land (excluding vacant residential land)
|
N/A
|
N/A |
N/A |
* Derived from the Department of Treasury and Finance - www.dtf.vic.gov.au/emergency-services-and-volunteers-fund
The levy calculated using the following formula:
Levy = fixed charge + (capital improved value x levy rate) - concession of $50 (if applicable)
How do I pay the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund?
The Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund (ESVF) is collected along with your council rates payment. The ESVF replaces the Fire Services Levy, which was historically charged on building and contents insurance premiums until 2013 when the State Government mandated that the responsibility for collecting the FSPL would be borne by Councils.
Council rates can be paid in quarterly instalments from the September quarter or as a lump sum in February.
Lodging an objection
To lodge an objection to your Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund please complete the objection form(PDF, 48KB).
Single Farm Enterprise Exemption
Primary production properties consisting of multiple land parcels but valued as a single property for rates purposes are treated as a single property for the purposes of the ESVF and only pay the fixed component of the levy once.
Any person may apply for exemption from the ESVF fixed charge for Primary Production land under the 'Single Farm Enterprise' criteria. The Single Farm Enterprise Exemption form is available to download using the steps outlined below, or from Council's Customer Service Centres.
Where a Single Farm Enterprise (SFE) holds land in another municipality, an application for all land held by the SFE is to be lodged in each municipality.