A box of cow manure dumped at the door of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has her steamed up, but the state Liberal leader is standing by colleagues accused of orchestrating it.

A farmer delivered the unsavoury gift to Allan’s parliamentary office on Tuesday as a protest raged on the building’s front steps over the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy.

“Dearest Jacinta, I have considered your levy and here’s my feedback, it’s bulls–t. Love Brutus + family,” a note on the box read.

The vacuum-sealed dung package was wrapped in pink twine and had a photo of a cow attached.

Manager of government business Mary-Anne Thomas accused Liberal MPs Bev McArthur and Nicole Werner of facilitating the placing of the “offensive prop”.

She has written to parliament’s privileges committee to request an investigation into the pair for bringing “discredit” on parliament.

Allan said the “disgraceful” behaviour would not be tolerated in any other workplace and wasn’t funny.

“I spoke to the staff member involved and she told me how she felt unsafe,” she said on Wednesday.

McArthur, who is a shadow cabinet member, confirmed she was with the farmer when the package was delivered and described it as a “harmless stunt”.

“Labor MPs are acting like they’ve never seen cow s–t before – maybe they don’t get out of Melbourne much,” she said.

“If they’re genuinely more upset about a pile of manure than the total mess they’ve made of their budget and this state, it’s no wonder Victoria’s going broke.”

McArthur said the only way regional Victorians could get a message through to Labor politicians was to deliver a “bulls–t cake direct to their door”.

Allan challenged Opposition Leader Brad Battin to condemn the behaviour of his backers, who were key to him unseating embattled rival John Pesutto in December.

Battin repeatedly failed to do so but acknowledged it wasn’t something he would have done.

He said he was unaware of the stunt beforehand and would not say whether he had spoken to or reprimanded his factional allies.

“I will focus on the fact that I have spoken to so many farmers who are so angry out in the community,” he said.

“If this [stunt] changes the message and gets them (the government) out to speak to them, then maybe that’s a positive.”

Battin has pledged to scrap the expanded levy if the Coalition wins government at the next state election in November 2026.

Tuesday’s state budget confirmed the expansion of the levy from July 1 will raise an extra $2.1 billion in revenue over the next three financial years.

It is expected to generate $1.8 billion a year from 2026/27 to cover the responses of more emergency services.

“Active (Country Fire Authority) and (Victoria State Emergency Service) volunteers and life members will be eligible for a rebate on their principal place of residence, farmland or single farming enterprise,” the budget papers say.

The Victorian government also promised partial rebates for drought-affected farmers and to lower the charge rate for primary production land.

-AAP