CFA has 792 out-of-date tankers, despite four years of funding increases
“If we don't have the tools to be able to do the job safely, that puts everyone at risk.”
Jacob Wallace
January 20, 2026
In the wake of the catastrophic bushfires that rolled through Victoria in early January, burning through more than 410,000 hectares and damaging almost 900 structures, the festering dispute between the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the state government has been revived.
According to the United Firefighters Union of Victoria there are 792 out-of-date CFA tankers that are unsafe and should be off the road, including 230 tankers more than 31 years old.
What happened: The CFA’s 2024-2025 annual report released on Tuesday morning shows it received $361.3 million in state government funding last financial year, the most it had received in the last five years.
Politicians disagree on CFA funding
Prior to the release of the report, opposition leader Jess Wilson said in a statement: "The Premier needs to show up, apologise to our CFA volunteers and explain why she isn't being honest with them about Labor's lack of support and mismanagement of the CFA over recent years.”
Premier Jacinta Allan has been adamant state funding of the CFA has not decreased under her watch. Allan told a press conference: “There has been no cut to funding for the CFA, it has only increased year-on-year … to say otherwise is false.”
So what does the report say?
The CFA's 2024-2025 annual report shows government grant funding did fall from $351.6 million in 2020/21 to $339.5 million in 2023/24, however it then rose to $361.3 million in 2024/25.
Where does the CFA get its funding from? The CFA doesn’t just receive funding from the state government, it also receives “funding” in the form of free of charge services from state agency Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV).
These free-of-charge services can include training, asset management, IT support and health and safety programs.
The CFA received $477.4 million in total income last financial year, 76 percent ($361.3 million) of that is from the state government. The other 24 percent comes from FRV services.
Taking into account state grants and FRV services, CFA funding has increased every year for the last four years, rising from $430.6 million in 2021-22 to $477.4 million in 2024-25.
Despite these increases in funding, aging equipment remains a constant issue for firefighters in the state.
What do Gippsland firefighters think?
United Firefighters Union member and Gippsland resident Matthew Muscat told the Monitor he’d like to see more money from the state government’s controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund go into the CFA to pay for new equipment.
🗣️“You see emails coming through the system nearly three times a week for stations looking for spare pumpers because theirs is broken down. There's not enough spares and all the spares are old and broken as well.”
🗣️“If we don't have the tools to be able to do the job safely that puts everyone at risk. It puts the community at risk and it puts firefighters at risk.”
On Thursday last week, Premier Allan announced a formal review into the bushfire season, which will be led by an independent disaster advisory body.
Image credit: Mick Stanic.
