Thursday, 19 March 2020

Morwell and Moe ambulance stations

Mr NORTHE (Morwell) (2320)

My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Ambulance Services in the other place.

The action that I seek from the minister is for her to communicate with people in the Latrobe Valley as to when construction on the proposed new Morwell and Moe ambulance stations will commence.

The status of these ambulance stations is still unknown despite previous government assurances and commitments they would be constructed and operational in 2019!

During the 2018 election campaign a new Morwell ambulance branch was committed to open late 2019.

At the time the minister was quoted as saying:

“The Andrews Labor government is building a cutting-edge ambulance station for Morwell paramedics to ensure they have the safe, modern facilities they deserve – and patients get faster care when they need it,” Ambulance Services Minister Jill Hennessy said.

Ms Hennessy also said at this time that ‘planning and design works were underway’. The minister was in Traralgon in September 2018 to officially open the new ambulance station at Traralgon and announced then that the government had bought land on Narracan Drive, Moe, to build a new branch. No official announcements were made for Morwell, but rather many local residents found out about the build after walking past the site and noticing a sign out the front stating it would be the ‘Home of your new Morwell ambulance branch—opening 2019’.

Within the article there is actually a photo of the huge sign saying, ‘your new Morwell Ambulance branch—opening 2019’. But the reality is this site continues to be vacant.

I wrote to the Minister for Ambulance Services about the status of the proposed Morwell and Moe ambulance stations in November 2019 only to be told that the new ‘Morwell and Moe ambulance stations are currently in the design and planning phase’, which is precisely what Minister Hennessey informed my electorate during her visit 12 months prior. How on earth can these two stations go from supposedly being constructed and operational in 2019 to in 2020 being at the design and planning phase?

Local paramedics, who do a sensational job serving our community, deserve to know just what has happened to these projects. Having been promised new stations, the minister and the government must provide clear and concise detail to our hardworking ambulance officers as to when these great commitments will be honoured.

In closing, the action that I seek from the minister is for her to communicate with people in the Latrobe Valley as to when construction on the proposed new Morwell and Moe ambulance stations will actually commence.