Thursday, 19 March 2026

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (13:02): (2258) My constituency question is to the Minister for Emergency Services, and it concerns the Beveridge fire brigade. Will the minister commit to providing the Beveridge fire brigade with the facilities, trucks and resources they desperately need? Minister, Beveridge is expanding at a rapid pace. The population has more than quadrupled in a decade, with more to come. The brigade has only one 24-year-old single-cab fire truck, yet it still manages to respond to nearly 500 calls every year and provide support to other brigades over a number of other districts. The brigade inform me that their location at the urban fringe means they respond to just about every type of hazard, bringing with it new challenges. They are also having issues with volunteer retention, putting further strain on a proud and hardworking brigade. To quote them directly:

A single appliance bay, a single truck, and a volunteer cohort that is already stretched close to capacity is not an emergency services footprint that reflects the reality of what this suburb is becoming.