The controversial scheme that helped fund fire-fighting services throughout Victoria by imposing a further premium on insurance premiums is a casualty of the review announced by the state government last October.

The levy abandonment in favour of a more equitable and fairer model was also included in the recommendations recently handed down by the Royal Commission into the Black Saturday fires, and the Victorian Farmers Federation and the state opposition have been extremely vocal in calling for change.

The Bendigo Advertiser has long maintained that it is a disgrace that our volunteer firefighters have to sell raffle tickets to help fund equipment that will be used to save Victorian lives and property.

Any new system that provides greater security of funding and more funding without being an added impost upon the household budget, is to be applauded.

Victoria needs a system that ensures more of us pay for a service all of us benefit from. Until now, this has not been the case.

The decision to revamp the way Victoria funds its fire services is one of the eight recommendations agreed to yesterday. The state opposition has already called for every recommendation to be adopted.

There will also be additional back burning completed, more seasonal firefighters employed and a greater focus on catching arsonists as part of the drive to reduce both the risk of fire and the potential fire load.