Ratepayers will get hit with higher fines for false fire alarm callouts as the ACT government tries to meet a funding shortfall over emergency services cover for the capital's national institutions and facilities.
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Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell said the decision to increase false alarm fees was ''highly regrettable'' but the territory government had been left with no other option due to Commonwealth funding cuts.
The federal government has roughly halved its annual $10 million agreement to ensure national institutions and Commonwealth buildings in Canberra are protected by fire and rescue services.
The ACT government will also set aside $4 million for the ACT Emergency Services Agency to help meet the funding shortfall in Tuesday's budget.
Mr Corbell said emergency services personnel in the capital had a ''special responsibility'' to respond to emergencies at national institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia and the Australian War Memorial.
''It's very regrettable the ACT ratepayers have been left in this position by the Commonwealth government because they're left to pick up the bill,'' Mr Corbell said.
The federal government argued it had been paying too much funding for many years when the row over emergency services cover funding broke out in 2012.
Under the changes, the ACT's false automatic fire alarm fee will jump from $750 to $1250 and be expanded to cover repeated avoidable callouts to the same building that have been caused by human actions.
Automated fire alarm systems that are connected to triple-0 are commonly found in residential apartment buildings and commercial premises.
Fees for approving building plans and conducting fire safety compliance inspections will also move from an hourly rate to a system based on a property's value.
