Thursday, 3 August 2023

Mansfield emergency services

Cindy McLEISH (Eildon) (17:17): (275) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is for the minister to finally invest in the much-needed development of the Mansfield emergency services precinct and with it build the new Mansfield SES station. I know the minister is aware of the council’s and community’s needs here because she has been personally briefed by them and understands the significance.

I am disappointed that another state budget has come and gone without investment in this project, which really should be treated as a priority. The SES has been in the top five, I understand, list of priorities for the state for quite a number of years, as has the ambulance station replacement. Mansfield Shire Council have dedicated an area now to establish the emergency services precinct, but they need the state government to help support it and to move things along. Mansfield’s request has been ongoing for years, and I have been raising it for some time as well. The council are very clear about where it needs to be located, but they need to work with the emergency services minister to understand the requirements of each different agency so that they can do initial planning prior to having the funding for a new SES unit and a new ambulance station.

The SES unit is currently located on that land, in the middle of it. They desperately need their station rebuilt. The current station is outdated. It does not accommodate all of the gear that they have. They do unusual activities, because they do High Country and Alpine National Park and work on Lake Eildon as well, so it is quite a diverse mix. They have got a lot of gear. They have got truck and water vessels that they need to store and secure.

The ambulance station facilities are outdated, and it needs to be replaced. It was built in the 1970s, and it is not fit to house the 10 paramedics and five vehicles. The CFA have nowhere to train, and their station is located almost in the middle of the town. A good precinct may mean in future the police station can move and expand there too. So the ask for the minister is that she work with the council to help establish that emergency services precinct and provide the funding for the initial SES unit to get moving.