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Melina Bath said CFA volunteers face risks due to aging equipment and $55M funding shortfall since 2020The CFA faces a $50 million deficit as volunteers fight fires with aging equipment, with funding lagging inflation despite Allan Labor’s claims, exposing ongoing crisis and growing pressure on brigades. By news@gippsland - 29th January 2026 - Back to News The ongoing and unresolved funding crisis of the CFA has been exposed with the Allan Government finally releasing the CFA annual report under pressure. The Nationals’ Melina Bath said frustrated CFA volunteers are highly concerned that they are fighting fires using an aging fleet and equipment which puts lives at risk. 
Melina Bath said the Premier’s CFA funding claims were disproven by the Parliamentary Budget Office, showing volunteers receive less despite new $600 million emergency service tax Funding gap worsensMs Bath said, "Analysis of the CFA annual report reveals the organisation is receiving $55 million less in real grant funding than it did in 2020 after four years of inflation. The funding crisis comes on the back of year in year funding cuts across the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years. "Labor’s claim of a $22 million boost in the 2024–25 budget amounts to only $10 million more than the CFA received in 2020–21. The truth is Labor’s funding for our CFA has failed to keep pace with inflation. As a result, the CFA is $50 million in deficit and instead of supporting our volunteer service, the Allan Government also cut funding for vital PPE and equipment by $8.3 million," she said. CFA funding slashedMs Bath said the Premier’s claims that CFA funding had been increased were rebuked by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office. "The numbers tell the truth and show CFA funding has gone backwards under Labor. Our CFA volunteers put their lives on the line, yet under Labor they are getting much less despite all households being hit with the new emergency service tax which raises an additional $600 million annually for the state government." "Labor is continuing to waste billions on mismanaged city centric projects while our CFA brigades are left with fewer resources, fewer volunteers and growing pressure on the ground. Labor can’t manage money, and our hard-working CFA volunteers are paying the price," said Ms Bath. Pictures from East Gippsland Shire Council Facebook page.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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