The Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, and firefighters union boss, Peter Marshall, have sparked backlash after attending a rally in Melbourne’s west where the slogan “ditch the bitch” was emblazoned on a fire truck. View image in fullscreen ‘Ditch the bitch’ was emblazoned on a fire truck at a rally against the state’s new emergency services levy in Werribee. “This pathetic display from Brad Battin tells you everything about the Liberals’ deep-rooted issues with respecting women,” Symes said. The police minister, Anthony Carbines, told reporters the slogans were “appalling” and said Battin had failed to “call it out”. The protest was sparked by anger over the emergency services levy, which replaces the fire services levy and provides funding to the CFA, SES, State Control Centre and triple-zero – agencies facing increased pressure due to more frequent and extreme weather events.