MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education, Minister for Agriculture)
Incorporated pursuant to order of Council of 7 September 2021:
Last month I had the great pleasure of officially opening the new state-of-the-art Port Fairy Country Fire Authority (CFA) station.
It was great to see the ecstatic response from the CFA members and their community, and I thank the 33-strong brigade for their patience with a project that was a long time coming.
I’m confident that the new facility will show the region’s younger members that they can make a contribution to their community in a safe space that caters for diversity.
How good it is that the brigade was able to move their unique, iconic table into the new station. It features the insignias that are special to a unit that dates back to 1905.
A shout-out too to the SES crew that will co-locate to the CFA site when its new facility is completed during next year, with the aim of being operational by the end of June.
This will be a fantastic step up from their current situation, where their equipment and activity are spread over three different sites.
Volunteering continues to be strong in regional Victoria, and both units are part of the fabric of their community in the south-west.
I congratulate and thank Hugh Worrall, captain of the CFA unit, his brigade members and VICSES unit controller Stephen McDowell and his crew for their dedication and contribution, often as first responders, in situations which put their personal safety at risk and often involve trauma.
All deserve fit-for-purpose facilities, and the investment by the Andrews Labor government of $2.7 million in the CFA station and more than $4 million for the SES unit will achieve this.