CFA Funding Boost Revealed in Delayed Annual Report; Allan Responds

Funding to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) increased last year, a delayed annual report revealed, after consecutive cuts and a downward trend in funding dating back to 2020. Government grants to the volunteer emergency service were $361.3 million in 2024-25, up from $339 million the year prior. This followed annual decreases for funding between 2020-21 and 2023-24, despite Premier Jacinta Allan’s insistence that it had increased every year. The CFA annual report, which should have been made public last year, was tabled in parliament on Tuesday after Allan and Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward last week accused the opposition of stoking misinformation over its funding. Allan had claimed the delay to its publication was the result of the auditing processes, prompting the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) to intervene and state it was not responsible for later-than-usual release. The CFA provided its finalised annual report to the Department of Justice and Community Safety in November, and it was received by Ward in December. CFA chief executive Greg Leach, in his foreword, said a key focus of the year was financial sustainability and maintaining the authority’s asset base. “CFA continues to focus on the challenge of achieving financial sustainability and providing fleet and assets to support our volunteers in delivery of services to the community.”