Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian announced in December that the NSW Government would abolish the Emergency Services Levy on insurance policies and replace it with an Emergency Services Property Levy (ESPL) to be paid with council rates.

Ms Berejiklian said the reform would mean the burden of funding emergency services would be shared among all landowners rather than just those owners who have taken out property insurance, as is currently the case.

“Fire does not discriminate and the community rightly expects that firefighting and SES services will be available to everyone in their time of need,” the treasurer said.

“It is also fair to expect all property owners to pay their share for these vital services.”

Ms Berejiklian said the move would bring NSW in line with all other mainland states and leave the majority of insured residential property owners around $40 better off each year – but Bathurst Regional Council is not expecting to share in the riches.

A report to councillors by corporate services director Bob Roach has outlined the changes and the reasons for the reforms, while admitting it was not yet known just how much the extra administrative work would cost council.

“There will be costs involved for council in collecting this levy and remitting it to the State Government,” Mr Roach said.

“At this point in time the cost is not known and it has not been mentioned whether council will receive compensation from the State Government for collecting of the levy.”

When asked by deputy mayor Ian North whether council was likely to be reimbursed by the state government for the cost involved in collecting the insurance levy, Mr Roach made it clear he wasn’t holding his breath.

“It’s a hypothetical question but I believe the state government would ask us to collect the levy and send the money off to them,” he said.

“I doubt we will get an administrative fee in return.”

State government modelling suggests the average cost of the ESPL will be about $160 a year.