CFA Regulations Review 2025

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The Country Fire Authority Regulations 2025 (“the 2025 Regulations”) will come into effect on the 31^st of July 2025, subject to final approval by the Minister for Emergency Services and Governor in Council.

Since the commencement of the Country Fire Authority Regulations 2014 (the current Regulations), CFA’s structure and operating environment has significantly changed, and the current Regulations need updating to ensure CFA continues to modernise and stay relevant.

Some of the current regulations are now obsolete, duplicate other laws and impose unnecessary red tape on our volunteers and staff.

Victorian regulations must be reviewed every ten years to ensure they remain fit for purpose. The Regulations review provides an opportunity to look at how CFA can streamline, simplify and modernise the way we operate.

Some of the key areas that have been reviewed include:

Administrative matters, such as modernising Authority (Board) proceedings, improving arrangements relating to the registration of CFA brigades and groups, consolidating brigade model rules and elections requirements, and clarifying financial management arrangements for Brigades
Membership of brigades, including expanding and clarifying member conduct, physical fitness requirements, and duties
Employee and volunteer discipline and appeals, including clearer requirements relating to investigations, hearing of charges and appeals process
Volunteer compensation, which directly outlines processes for officers and members of brigades and industry brigades in making personal compensation claims for both injury and personal property
Fees and charges for CFA services are being implemented to include a charging process for CFA services at commercial events.
Fire prevention measures, including elections and local government nominations to regional fire prevention committees, permits to burn during fire danger periods, conditions or restrictions on engaging in high fire risk activities, and regulating fire suppression equipment
Compliance requirements for fire alarm monitoring services, including an updated charging requirement to meet current response expectations and resources

Public consultation about the new Regulations closed in May with around 25 submissions received. Feedback is currently being considered by the Government before it is sent to the Minister for Emergency Services and the Governor in Council to approve the new Regulations.

The CFA Regulations Implementation Program is working towards the implementation of the regulatory changes ahead of the Regulations being approved, and subject to any final changes following the consultation period.

Timeline

Date	Activity
12 March 2025	Public consultation on the draft regulations opened
13 May 2025	Public consultation closed
14 May – mid-June	Public feedback considered by the Department of Justice and Community Safety
June – July	Draft Regulations finalised
31 July 2025	CFA Regulations 2025 commence

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the CFA Regulations?

The Country Fire Authority Regulations 2014 and Country Fire Authority (Community Fire Refuges) Regulations 2014 are the regulations that CFA operates under. The Country Fire Authority Regulations 2014 are due to expire on 1 August 2025. The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) is proposing that these two regulations are rolled into one and updated to better reflect the current structure and operating environment of CFA which has changed significantly in the last few years.

Some of the topics the Regulations cover include: administrative matters, brigade membership, volunteer discipline and appeals, volunteer compensation, fees and charges, fire prevention measures and compliance requirement for fire alarm monitoring.

Why can't the current Regulations just remain in place?

Regulations expire every 10 years, and a Regulatory Impact Statement was required to analyse the regulatory problem as if the existing regulations did not apply. This process was designed to support the government to develop better options that do not simply maintain the status quo.

This enables significant changes in technology, community expectations and business practices to be considered so that the basis for analysis is the nature of the problem today, and not 10 years ago.

What principles did CFA use to guide the review of the Regulations?

Government Regulations are required to follow the principles outlined in the Victorian Guide to Regulation.

CFA also established two specific principles to guide its preparation of advice to DJCS on what it recommended be reviewed: Recognise, value, respect and promote the contribution of volunteer members to the well-being and safety of the community and have regard to the commitment and principles set out in the Volunteer Charter.
Enable and support the streamlining and efficiency of CFA operations.

What was the process for reviewing the Regulations?

In anticipation of the DJCS commencing its formal review of the Regulations, in early 2023, CFA commenced engagement with key stakeholders to seek feedback on the current operation of the Regulations. CFA was also aware of existing areas of improvement in the regulations due to matters or issues identified over the life of the 2014 Regulations.

Following the engagements with stakeholders about the operation of the current Regulations, CFA developed policy proposals for approval by the CFA Board. These policy proposals aimed to guide CFA's advice to DJCS on their drafting of the new Regulations.

Following the approval of the CFA Board, CFA consulted with key stakeholders on these policy proposals.

DJCS reviewed and endorsed the policy proposals. The policy proposals were then approved by the Minister for Emergency Services.

The approved policy positions formed the basis for the development of the Regulatory Impact Statement and 2025 Regulations, which were open for public consultation via Engage Victoria between 12 March - 13 May 2025.

Will there be changes to the way CFA operates?

Yes, in some circumstances there will be changes.

There are four key areas of change in the 2025 Regulations:

Regulations about the management and administration of CFA, which affect CFA members or employees only;
Regulations pertaining to CFA membership and the rights and obligations of CFA volunteers, which affect CFA members, prospective members and other persons (e.g. volunteer discipline and dependants of members entitled to compensation under CFA’s Volunteer Compensation Scheme).
Regulations about fire prevention and control, which affect all individuals and businesses in country Victoria; and include specific regulatory requirements affecting the private plantation forestry sector, and companies providing automatic fire alarm monitoring services; and
Regulations about fees and charges for CFA services, which affect users of the services for which charges may be imposed.

A significant number of the proposed changes are administrative in nature.