Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) presented a petition bearing 2167 signatures:

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that the land directly behind the Geelong West Fire Station, identified as 67B and 67C McCurdy Road in Herne Hill, has been declared surplus by VicTrack and is being considered for residential development. If this occurs, rear access to the station will be permanently removed, significantly affecting emergency response times. The Geelong West Fire Station is a key operational and training hub supporting district and state emergency response, including the deployment of strike teams across Western Victoria. The station was purpose-built with the intention of future rear access and with the rear wall designed to allow for roller door installation. Many operational firefighters currently use the old rail corridor behind the station to reduce turnout times, particularly during peak traffic periods. Losing this access will compromise community safety and long-term emergency management capability.

The land should be allocated to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) or other emergency services to protect operational access, training capability and response efficiency. There should be no rezoning, disposal or development of the sites until a transparent assessment of emergency management impacts is completed in consultation with the CFA, relevant emergency services stakeholders and the local community. Current and future population growth should be considered to ensure planning decisions do not compromise emergency response capability or public safety.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to retain the land behind the Geelong West Fire Station, specifically 67B and 67C McCurdy Road, Herne Hill, for emergency services and community safety purposes, and if retention is not immediately possible, pause any proposed rezoning, disposal or development until a transparent assessment of emergency management impacts is completed in consultation with relevant stakeholders.