MidCoast Council welcomes State Government decision to take ownership of Rural Fire Service assets

MIDCOAST Council Mayor Claire Pontin has welcomed the NSW Government’s decision to take back financial ownership of Rural Fire Service (RFS) assets, commonly known as the ‘Red Fleet’.

The transfer of ownership will include around 150 RFS vehicles across the MidCoast region and is scheduled to take effect from 1 July 2027.

The announcement follows years of advocacy from Local Government NSW (LGNSW), the Country Mayors’ Association and rural and regional councils across the state, including MidCoast Council.

Mayor Pontin said the change would remove a significant financial burden that councils have been required to carry despite having no operational control over the vehicles.

“For years councils have had to carry the financial burden of this and had to account for and depreciate these assets which they have no operational control over,” Cr Pontin said.

She said the impact had been substantial for MidCoast Council due to the large number of RFS vehicles based throughout the region.

“For the MidCoast region that 150 vehicles is a significant number and has had an impact on our bottom line,” she said.

Cr Pontin said she had previously spoken publicly about the issue and was pleased to see action finally being taken.

“I have been outspoken about the issue in the past, so I am extremely pleased with the announcement made last week,” she said.

The Mayor said the decision represented a positive step towards addressing the growing problem of cost shifting from the State Government to local councils.

“Cost shifting by the NSW Government has become an issue for all NSW Councils, but this is finally a step in the right direction,” Cr Pontin said.

She also thanked Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig and the NSW Government for supporting the change.

The transfer is expected to provide greater financial certainty for councils while ensuring RFS assets remain available to support emergency services across regional communities.