House of Assembly Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1) 53 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Emergency Services Levy Emergency Services Levy Dr McFETRIDGE House of Assembly Morphett Emergency Services Levy Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:35): My question is to the Treasurer. Does the Treasurer stand by his comments made in September that there will be no community impact due to protesting CFS volunteers as 'there are thousands of other volunteers to take their place'? Echunga CFS has today announced they will not commit to fighting fires on government land, including Kuitpo Forest and Mount Bold Reservoir due to the ESL increases. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Finance Minister for State Development Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Minister for Small Business Emergency Services Levy The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:35): I was asked this question previously by the opposition and I apologise to members if they misunderstood my remarks. I do not want to in any way offend any volunteer. I value our volunteers and, of course, people are entitled to political protest by withdrawing their labour. That is a principle that many of us on this side of the house have always supported. Whether they be a volunteer or in paid employment, they are entitled to do that. Obviously, we would not like to see them not volunteer, but I do say this: the removal of emergency services remissions in the most recent budget was not a decision that the government wanted to take. It was one we had to take. I call on the commonwealth government to reverse their cuts to our health services, education and pensioners and I will immediately return those remissions to our regional communities and metropolitan communities. I do point out to the shadow minister that there are discounts that remain in place for regional communities, from 20 per cent for people who live in regional towns, 50 per cent for people who live outside those regional towns and up to 90 per cent for people who live in unincorporated communities, so they are still getting discounts. But I do point out that the ESL is a Liberal Party tax that they invented.