The hard-working volunteers of the Henty Rural Fire Brigade will finally get the station upgrade they have been waiting years for if the Liberals and Nationals are elected to government.
The Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy met with brigade members to announce a commitment to build a new station, something the brigade has been advocating for since 2012.
Ms Kealy said the much-needed replacement of the brigade’s ageing 2.4D tanker – one of the last in Victoria – had been at a standstill because the current Henty station was not large enough to fit a newer model.
“The Henty tanker has done more than 90,000 kilometres and has been in service since 1994, making it one of the oldest in Victoria’s firefighting fleet. Yet the Labor government has refused to fund upgrades to the Henty station to fit a newer model, effectively trapping the brigade with a tanker well beyond its typical service life,” she said.
“The brigade, led by captain Damien Henty-Anderson, has consistently advocated for a station upgrade, including sourcing their own quotes to try to get things moving. But they have continually been fobbed off by the Labor government and given weak verbal assurances that an upgrade would come.
“Fourteen years after the issue was first identified, the problem remains. Only a Liberal and Nationals Government will fix it and give the selfless volunteers of the Henty brigade the equipment and infrastructure they need to continue to keep our communities safe.”
Ms Kealy said the commitment was part of The Nationals’ positive plan to rebuild regional Victoria, backed by a Fair Share Guarantee to ensure regional communities received their fair share of government infrastructure investment.
“We know that 25 per cent of Victorians live in regional Victoria, so it’s only fair we receive 25 per cent of new infrastructure funding,” she said.
“Our promise to deliver this important upgrade for the Henty Rural Fire Brigade is part of our commitment to ensuring a fair share of investment in the infrastructure our regional and rural communities need and deserve to keep them thriving.”