Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If you live in Victoria—or indeed anywhere in Australia—I’m sure you’ve seen the news coming out of the state over the last week. The ABC made it clear: “Catastrophic fire conditions across Victoria,” “Bushfires ravage Victoria,” and more recently: “Victoria’s bushfires more than five times the size of Singapore.”
Don’t worry, though; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan were there on the ground helping out the only way they know how—by taking plenty of photo ops to post on their social media feeds. To be fair, the ABC reported: “Albanese and Allan unveil $19.5 million support package as crews take stock of Victorian fire devastation.”
Of course, I’m not here to joke about the men and women who actually fight the fires. Many of them are unpaid volunteers who risk their lives to protect their state. I’m certainly not here to throw any shade on them.
However, there are a few questions about Victoria’s finances—and their priorities—when it comes to running the state and keeping residents safe.
Last year, the Australian Financial Review reported: “Victoria’s debt is among the worst in the world,” while the ABC reported in November: “Victoria’s auditor-general reports $400 million government budget blowout.” They noted that Victoria recorded an “operating loss of $2.6 billion in 2024–25,” adding to “accumulated losses of $50.6 billion over the last six years.”
The article states that interest payments are set to rise from $6.8 billion this year to $10.6 billion by 2028. Don’t worry, that’s only $29 million per day! Twenty-nine million dollars of taxpayer money every day just floating away into the ether.
If it were a company, it would have filed for bankruptcy years ago. You’d sack the CEO and be selling off the office furniture.
But no—under Premier Allan’s watch, the state continues to borrow and burn through the cash, you know, to “save you money” on your electricity bills.
But while the government burns through your cash—and the state literally burns—the Country Fire Authority is busy headhunting for a new Senior Manager. Thank you to the viewer who sent this in.
Now, the CFA gets most of its funding from the government and is almost entirely reliant on thousands of volunteers who risk their lives for zero pay. So, I know what you’re thinking: “Does this manager help organise the water-bombing aircraft? Do they help maintain the ageing fleet of fire trucks?”
You’d think that would be the priority—especially since The Courier in Ballarat reports that the CFA’s firefighting fleet remains “dangerously” out-of-date.
Not quite.
The full job title is actually: “Senior Manager Culture and Inclusion.” Yes—as the state burns, the CFA seems more interested in making sure their organisation is “inclusive.” They acknowledge they rely on more than 51,000 volunteers—and apparently, “managing” the culture of those unpaid people is worth a salary of up to $167,000 a year. Plus 12% super, of course.
And what do we get for that six-figure taxpayer investment? Well, as with most of these “woke” roles, the goal is to ensure people “feel valued, safe, included, and empowered.”
They boast about their “Diversity and Inclusion Strategy” and their “Gender Equality Action Plan.” Look, as I said, I’m not here to criticise the people fighting the actual fires—but as we can see with almost every organisation attached to the Victorian Government, the rot has seeped in.
The fine print says that “CFA is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and safe volunteer and work environment.” Their aim is to have a “workforce that reflects the community it serves.”
So, basically: “First Nations people, women, people of all ages, with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply.” This is essentially code for: “Anglo-Australian men are not diverse enough.”
The rural men who have been doing this for generations can fight the fires for free, while a minority gets paid top bucks to make sure you’re using the correct inclusive terminology while the bushfire approaches. You better hurry, though; applications close January 18.
Victoria may be struggling to pay off its ever-rising debt; it may be struggling to put out fires with an ageing fleet and a mainly volunteer firefighting army.
But it can still find the funds to pay for the things that really count—diversity consultants to lecture hardworking people who are currently out there saving the state for free.
How about focusing the funding on fighting fires?
MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
If you live in Victoria—or indeed anywhere in Australia—I’m sure you’ve seen the news coming out of the state over the last week. The ABC made it clear: “Catastrophic fire conditions across Victoria,” “Bushfires ravage Victoria,” and more recently: “Victoria’s bushfires more than five times the size of Singapore.”
Don’t worry, though; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan were there on the ground helping out the only way they know how—by taking plenty of photo ops to post on their social media feeds. To be fair, the ABC reported: “Albanese and Allan unveil $19.5 million support package as crews take stock of Victorian fire devastation.”
Of course, I’m not here to joke about the men and women who actually fight the fires. Many of them are unpaid volunteers who risk their lives to protect their state. I’m certainly not here to throw any shade on them.
However, there are a few questions about Victoria’s finances—and their priorities—when it comes to running the state and keeping residents safe.
Last year, the Australian Financial Review reported: “Victoria’s debt is among the worst in the world,” while the ABC reported in November: “Victoria’s auditor-general reports $400 million government budget blowout.” They noted that Victoria recorded an “operating loss of $2.6 billion in 2024–25,” adding to “accumulated losses of $50.6 billion over the last six years.”
The article states that interest payments are set to rise from $6.8 billion this year to $10.6 billion by 2028. Don’t worry, that’s only $29 million per day! Twenty-nine million dollars of taxpayer money every day just floating away into the ether.
If it were a company, it would have filed for bankruptcy years ago. You’d sack the CEO and be selling off the office furniture.
But no—under Premier Allan’s watch, the state continues to borrow and burn through the cash, you know, to “save you money” on your electricity bills.
But while the government burns through your cash—and the state literally burns—the Country Fire Authority is busy headhunting for a new Senior Manager. Thank you to the viewer who sent this in.
Now, the CFA gets most of its funding from the government and is almost entirely reliant on thousands of volunteers who risk their lives for zero pay. So, I know what you’re thinking: “Does this manager help organise the water-bombing aircraft? Do they help maintain the ageing fleet of fire trucks?”
You’d think that would be the priority—especially since The Courier in Ballarat reports that the CFA’s firefighting fleet remains “dangerously” out-of-date.
Not quite.
The full job title is actually: “Senior Manager Culture and Inclusion.” Yes—as the state burns, the CFA seems more interested in making sure their organisation is “inclusive.” They acknowledge they rely on more than 51,000 volunteers—and apparently, “managing” the culture of those unpaid people is worth a salary of up to $167,000 a year. Plus 12% super, of course.
And what do we get for that six-figure taxpayer investment? Well, as with most of these “woke” roles, the goal is to ensure people “feel valued, safe, included, and empowered.”
They boast about their “Diversity and Inclusion Strategy” and their “Gender Equality Action Plan.” Look, as I said, I’m not here to criticise the people fighting the actual fires—but as we can see with almost every organisation attached to the Victorian Government, the rot has seeped in.
The fine print says that “CFA is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and safe volunteer and work environment.” Their aim is to have a “workforce that reflects the community it serves.”
So, basically: “First Nations people, women, people of all ages, with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply.” This is essentially code for: “Anglo-Australian men are not diverse enough.”
The rural men who have been doing this for generations can fight the fires for free, while a minority gets paid top bucks to make sure you’re using the correct inclusive terminology while the bushfire approaches. You better hurry, though; applications close January 18.
Victoria may be struggling to pay off its ever-rising debt; it may be struggling to put out fires with an ageing fleet and a mainly volunteer firefighting army.
But it can still find the funds to pay for the things that really count—diversity consultants to lecture hardworking people who are currently out there saving the state for free.
How about focusing the funding on fighting fires?
MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
