Wednesday, 1 May 2024

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (14:06): (823) My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, will you allocate funding for a new Yarrawonga fire station in the 2024–25 state budget? A new fire station in Yarrawonga has been at the top of district 22’s list of priorities for many years now. I have repeatedly spoken in this place, asking the government to fund a new modern facility to serve this growing community. The existing station is over 30 years old, and several assessments have found it does not meet OH&S standards. The station is too small, and the brigade has actually had to forgo the opportunity to receive a new pumper and a new tanker because they are too large to fit in the truck bays. The brigade were recently forced to spend $25,000 of their own funds to build change rooms in a separate shed to get turnout gear out of the truck bays, but these facilities still do not have toilets or showers. The brigade is now delivering fire medical response and needs a station that will allow it to operate safely and efficiently.