Melbourne traffic chaos, West Gate freeway delays due to protest

Herald Sun

09-05-2025

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Traffic chaos is unfolding in Melbourne CBD, with major delays being reported on city arterials like the West Gate freeway.
Dozens of fire trucks were spotted heading into town, believed to be arriving for a protest at 11:30am at parliament against the Allan Government's new emergency services fund.
Farmers are descending on Spring St to protest and will be joined by the powerful United Firefighters Union.
The action aims to bring to together fireys, farmers and local council members who are all opposed to the new levy which will see an extra $2bn taken from land holders if it replaces the current Fire Services Levy.
The Victorian Farmers Federation have previously rallied against the levy saying it would hit regional property owners hard with some reporting cost increases of 400 per cent.
They are not in attendance but individual farmers will join the protest lines.
Councils, which collect the Fire Services Levy for the state government through rate notices have also spoken out against the tax warning the new levy will be 'more complicated' to administer and backlash from local residents will be 'massive'.
Municipal Association of Victoria President Jennifer Anderson is on record stating that councils across the state had indicated they were 'not able to reliably implement these proposed changes'.
Volunteer firefighters and farmers yesterday were preparing to descend on Spring Street in a bid to ­extinguish the 'unjust' new emergency services tax, while presenting the Allan government with a mock-up bill of more than $1m for the catastrophic Grampians blaze.
Some volunteers are refusing to attend call-outs and have threatened to quit altogether over the new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund after it was revealed farmers – many of whom are CFA volunteers themselves – could be hardest hit.
In the lead-up to the return of parliament next week, senior volunteer firefighters have sent out a call to action, ­encouraging fuming farmers and firefighters to join a demonstration at Spring Street on Friday morning.
UFU Secretary Peter Marshall said today's rally, which would be attended by scores of farmers, council advocates and firefighters, had been organised to draw attention to the to the fact that the levy also changed the funding arrangements for FRV.
'Under these changes, the levy will be doubled, but the legally binding funding standards for fire protection will be abolished,' he said.
'What exactly will Victorians be paying for? Without mandatory, enforceable standards, firefighters can't guarantee they'll be able to safely respond to the emergencies where they are needed...others including local councils and farmers are also speaking out in opposition to this blatant cash grab and we welcome their solidarity.'
The protest comes ahead of parliament resuming next week.
The Herald Sun understands the controversial levy may be put back to a vote in next week despite it being broadly opposed.
In April, the Allan government was forced to temporarily shelve the legislation to make way for the new tax after it could not garner enough support from the crossbench in the upper house.
If the bill is not voted on next week it leaves the government with the prospect that Treasurer Jaclyn Symes faces a massive black hole in her first budget, which will be handed down on May 20.
Sources said the four upper house Greens MPs — who the government often looks to for support to pass legislation — had been asked by their federal counterparts to not support the Bill while the campaign was on.
Given the federal party has been decimated it is currently not clear if the Victorian Greens will support the controversial legislation.
More to come....