Regional Cities NSW proposes changes to Emergency Services Levy

Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW) has proposed a number of changes to the Emergency Services Levy to allow our communities to be better served in the face of natural disasters.

The task for emergency service responders in regional NSW is ever increasing, and the devastating 2019/20 bushfire season made clear that urgent reform is needed.  The final report of the New South Wales Bushfire Inquiry recommended that the State Government should support local councils in hazard reduction and ensure they are suitably resourced to manage local development on bushfire-prone land.

In response, RCNSW made a number of recommendations to the State Government, including:

1.       Introduction of a new property-based Emergency Services Levy, and discontinuation of the annual contribution by local government;

2.       Decoupling of the rate peg from the Emergency Services Levy annual indexation process;

3.       Transfer emergency services assets from local government to state government; and

4.       Continue ongoing reviews and reform of emergency services to improve coordination and response capacity.