The NSW Government will take over ownership and responsibility for the Rural Fire Service’s (RFS) mobile assets from 1 July 2027, ending a long-standing arrangement that required councils to carry the assets on their balance sheets.
Local Government NSW (LGNSW) welcomed the announcement, saying the change will remove a significant financial and administrative burden from councils, particularly in rural and regional areas.
LGNSW President, Mayor Darcy Byrne, said councils have been required to record the assets, commonly known as the “Red Fleet”, in their financial statements despite having no control over them.
“For the last 30 years, legislation has said that these assets are owned by councils. Yet councils had no say in the acquisition, usage and disposal of these assets; these were all decisions of the Rural Fire Service,” Byrne said.
Despite this, councils have been required to absorb depreciation costs, as well as the expense of inspecting and accounting for them.
“Today’s reform will be particularly felt in smaller rural and regional areas where the vesting of Red Fleet assets has had a huge impact, as these communities often have a proportionally larger RFS presence,” Byrne said.
“These councils were carrying a heavy financial burden by being forced to record them on their books.
“This is a major win for local government and comes after years of persistent advocacy by LGNSW and individual councils.”
LGNSW recently made submissions to an inquiry by the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, whose final report recommended transferring legal ownership of the fleet to the RFS as a state agency.
“We thank the members of that Committee for recognising this urgent need and we are pleased that the NSW Government has acted so decisively on this key recommendation to transfer ownership,” Byrne said.
“Councils strongly support the work of the RFS and recognise that it is a world-leading firefighting service.
“We look forward to working with the NSW Government over the next 12 months to ensure a successful transition, including appropriate consideration of maintenance contracts.”
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