The Andrews Labor Government is powering ahead with building a new ambulance station at Diamond Creek.
Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy today joined Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green on a tour of construction of the $2.5 million cutting-edge station the Labor Government is building on Main Hurstbridge Road.
The project is set to be complete by the end of the year – six months ahead of schedule. The wall frame is beginning to take shape and brickworks are scheduled to begin soon.
Currently, Diamond Creek’s paramedics share a facility with the CFA and Victoria Police, which has left little room for them to grow. We’re fixing that.
The new station will stand on its own, complete with a spacious garage for ambulances, rest and recline areas for hard-working paramedics, a training room, bedrooms and a kitchen.
Importantly, the Diamond Creek Ambulance Station will have room to house additional crews to cater for the growing population of the future, and will be upgraded from a Peak Period Unit to receive 24-hour coverage.
The Labor Government is repairing the ambulance crisis left behind by the Liberals, who went to war with our paramedics and let response times blow out and become the worst on the Australian mainland.
Our $500 million plan is recruiting 450 more paramedics, getting more vehicles on the road and building more new stations right around the state.
In the Nillumbik Shire, the latest response times data shows 71.9 per cent of ambulances are now arriving within 15 minutes for Code 1 emergencies - up from 55.8 per cent the same quarter a year prior.
The average time an ambulance takes to reach the scene of a Code 1 emergency over the same period has decreased from 15.27 minutes to 13.03 minutes.
Quote attributable to Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy
“It’s so exciting to see the ambulance station we promised Diamond Creek starting to take shape. It’s on time, on budget, and we’re getting it done.”
Quote attributable to Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green
“This branch will be bigger, better and will double coverage hours for the Diamond Creek community – and that means local families can have peace of mind that an ambulance is around the corner when they need one.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020