Murchison paramedics now have the safe and modern home base they need to respond faster and save lives, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.
Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy today officially opened the $1.8 million state-of-the-art ambulance branch on Watson Street in Murchison.
The original branch was built in the 1960s and was no longer suitable for the needs of today’s modern ambulance service. It was very small and outdated, required reverse-in access for vehicles and had a manual garage door.
The spacious and cutting edge new branch features a functional four-bay garage for vehicles and modern facilities for paramedics including lounge areas, a kitchen, training room and amenities.
The new building is home to three paramedics and 10 Ambulance Community Officers who provide 24-7 emergency care to people in Murchison, Rushworth and beyond. Murchison’s hard-working paramedics now have the facilities they deserve, as well as room to grow into the future.
With modern and efficient facilities, response times will continue to improve, and more lives will be saved as patients get the emergency care they need, sooner.
Under the Liberals, Victoria’s ambulance system was plunged into crisis, as their war with paramedics led to the worst response times on the Australian mainland. The Labor Government has fixed the Liberals’ mess and is delivering the largest ever funding boost for Victoria’s ambulance services.
Our $500 million plan to cut response times is employing 450 more paramedics, building more stations and buying new vehicles across the state.
Thanks to our reforms of the system and record investment, 83.8 per cent of all Code One urgent ambulances are arriving within 15 minutes – the best quarterly result in Ambulance Victoria’s history.
In the City of Greater Shepparton, 83.7 per cent of ambulances now arriving within 15 minutes for Code One emergencies, up from 80.6 per cent a year earlier and the average time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a Code One emergency has improved from 11.32 minutes to 11.16 minutes.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy
“We’re giving Murchison’s dedicated paramedics the facilities they need to do what they do best – saving lives. After years in cramped facilities, they can truly be proud of their bigger, better and safer home base.”
“Labor is getting is getting it done and investing more than any Government in Victoria’s history to improve ambulance response times, here in Murchison and across the state.”
Quote attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes
“Murchison families can have peace of mind that when a critical emergency strikes, paramedics are nearby and responding faster than ever.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020