Tuesday, 2 December 2025

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (02:02): (2174) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action that I seek is for the minister to fund a new fire station for the Axe Creek fire brigade in the 2026–27 state budget. Victoria has a tragic history of deadly bushfires that have devastated our state, and we rely on our brave and dedicated volunteer Country Fire Authority brigades to be first on the scene to fight local fires and prevent them from breaking out and spreading across the state. It is absolutely essential that CFA brigades have the facilities and equipment they need to maintain high levels of operational readiness and be able to react quickly when they are called upon.

Members of the Axe Creek fire brigade have reached out to me regarding the condition of their station and the urgent need for improved facilities. The station has no change rooms for males or for females and only a single portable toilet connected to a sewer tank for the whole brigade, which is the only place that a female can get changed in private. There is no running hot water or proper handwashing station. There is no storage space for their turnout gear, meaning members often transport contaminated gear in their cars to wash it at home. There is no compliant area to wash their breathing apparatus, leaving crews to wash equipment in buckets of cold water on the truck apron, which is contrary to CFA standard operating procedures and requires them to write up and submit a CFA safe application each time. There is also no meeting room at the station, so when the brigade has a meeting they must pull out one of the trucks to make room for a circle of chairs in the engine bay.

The biggest effect of this lack of adequate facilities is that it impedes operational readiness. Everything takes longer, and the brigade is simply unable to be as fast and efficient as it could be if it had appropriate facilities. It also poses safety risks to the volunteers themselves as they manage multiple tasks in a shared space, wash gear where they can and take it with them when they must. It is easy to see why this severely hinders recruitment, making it harder to find and keep new members, especially women, who need privacy when changing and hygienic spaces if they are to feel welcomed and safe.

Earlier this year a senior CFA officer advised Axe Creek CFA that they were first or second in line for a station refurbishment, but more recently they have been informed that they are slipping down the list and may miss out. The brigade has reached out for support to their local member, Premier Jacinta Allan, but they have not even received a response, which is disgraceful. Axe Creek CFA volunteers are dedicated and hardworking, but they need modern, up-to-date facilities to enable them to deliver the best firefighting service possible. The minister must fund upgrades to Axe Creek fire station in the 2026 budget.