Tatura’s first ever ambulance station, proudly funded and built by the Andrews Labor Government, is now open.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Ambulance Services Jenny Mikakos officially opened the Tatura Ambulance Station, which will give paramedics the safe and modern base they deserve.
The new ambulance station features training space for paramedics, a four-bay garage, a kitchen, rest and recline areas, and secure car parking for paramedics.
For the first time, Tatura now has its very own paramedics in the heart of town, meaning when an emergency strikes, the very best care is closer when it’s needed most.
The former Liberal and National Government went to war with paramedics, creating an ambulance crisis that saw Victoria’s ambulance performance decline to the worst on the Australian mainland. We’ve fixed their mess, with a $500 million package to recruit more paramedics, build more stations and get more vehicles on the road.
Now we’re going further, with a big $299 million boost in the Victorian Budget 2019/20 to continue to grow Victoria’s world-class ambulance service.
The latest response times data shows the Labor Government’s investments are working. In the City of Greater Shepparton, ambulances arrived at Code 1 emergencies within an average of 10:14 minutes for the last quarter – faster than the 13:09 average for the same period under the former Coalition government.
The data shows 86.9 per cent of Greater Shepparton’s Code 1 ambulances arrived inside 15 minutes – better than the 73.4 per cent over the same period.
Tatura is Victoria’s first Heart Safe Community – an Ambulance Victoria and Heart Foundation initiative backed by the Labor Government improving cardiac arrest survival rates by empowering the community to take action.
Since the project began 18 months ago, 1,055 people – or about a quarter of the population – were trained in CPR and how to use a defibrillator. The number of registered automated external defibrillators in the community has grown from three to 26, including seven that are publicly accessible 24 hours a day.
Quote attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Tatura deserves its own ambulance station and paramedics – and that’s what we’ve delivered.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos
“This brand new station will give paramedics the base they deserve, and patients the peace of mind that help is just around the corner when they need it most.”
Quote attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp
“We’ve fixed the ambulance crisis and now we’re going further, with more paramedics, more stations and more vehicles on the road in Northern Victoria.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020