Thursday, 5 March 2026

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (18:25): (2398) My question is to the Minister for Health. I have spoken in this chamber about the challenges we face accessing ambulance services across Northern Victoria Region and the impacts on families, including a resident in Donald that had to wait hours for an ambulance and passed away the following day. I was contacted by a family member, who just expressed their utmost frustration and sorrow at what had happened. But just last year the member for Ripon Martha Haylett talked up the government’s election commitments, including:

… building a new ambulance station in Wedderburn very soon as well.

That was in May last year. An article today in the Loddon Herald says:

Loddon Shire CEO Lincoln Fitzgerald said Ambulance Victoria had approached council in March 2023 to discuss land options for a new station. The CERT team is based out of the former police residence.

Council agreed to hive off part of land in Wilson Street for the new station and did works on the former school site ahead of finalising the sale – surveying, preparation of a planning report seeking subdivision, establishment of a new Coliban Water connection, project management and administrative preparation of property for transfer.

“The cost of this work is in the order of $21,000 excluding council staff time and project management,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

Council was last week told Ambulance Victoria had walked away from the project and left the shire more than $20,000 out of pocket.

The action I seek is for the minister to explain why less than a year later work on this new station has not started and it is not going to be built as promised, with Ambulance Victoria cancelling plans for an ambulance station in Wedderburn. Have the funds been allocated to another project, or is it because the state is running out of money? What is being done to meet community need for these services?