Bega by-election: Labor promises emergency centre for Moruya
Labor has promised $25 million for a central south coast emergency operations precinct to replace the existing RFS halls used to co-ordinate disaster responses.
The South Coast News
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Labor leader Anthony Albanese has pledged to provide $25 million for a new emergency operations precinct in Moruya as competition for the federal seat of Gilmore heats up.
Under the vision, a single, purpose-built facility would replace the patchwork of regional RFS halls co-ordinating disaster response efforts throughout the south coast.
The centre would house RFS volunteers, NSW Fire and Rescue firefighters, police and telecommunication personnel and could replace the Moruya RFS hall.
Health services have become an important battleground ahead of upcoming state by-elections in Bega and Monaro, as well as the looming contest for the federal seat of Gilmore.
Voters will go to the polls on February 12 in what is expected to be a close race for the seat of Bega.
Longstanding community issues, including housing and health have emerged as a key campaigns for both parties, with hospitals having struggled under pressure from the Covid pandemic.
Last week, former Bega state Liberal MP Andrew Constance unveiled plans to open the $260 million Eurobodalla Hospital in Moruya at Level 4, which is the classification for more advanced services that would have previously required patients to be transferred.
On Thursday, incumbent Labor Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips joined Mr Albanese in announcing the new operations centre, which would be co-funded by state and federal Labor, at the existing Moruya RFS Hall.
She said feedback from the community had been clear – people wanted to feel safer after the devastation of the Black Summer fires, and needed a co-ordinated operations centre.
“For more than eight years the message from local residents, Eurobodalla Shire Council, emergency services workers and volunteers has been, whilst much loved, the Moruya RFS Hall is not fit for purpose as an emergency management centre,” she said.
“Labor’s commitment will ensure that locals are better protected from the natural disasters we know are coming.”
Regional disaster responses are co-ordinated from separate sites throughout the Eurobodalla and Bega shires, including a temporary facility in the Moruya RSL Club hall.
A single, purpose-built operations centre would help local emergency services personnel plan for, and respond to, disasters more efficiently, Mr Albanese said.
“The lesson here is we need an emergency services precinct right here in Moruya,” he said.
“We need to co-locate the emergency services functions in one location with proper facilities, so people aren’t putting up with the crowded facility we saw here – or having to travel a kilometre away.”
The project would be built with $5 million promised by federal Labor for the project and the state party branch injecting $20 million
The guiding principle of the project was to listen to the community who had been under siege only two years ago, Mr Albanese said, with recovery still under way in much of the region.
The Labor leader said while he welcomed the announcement of funding for a similar facility by the State Government this week, he believed more still needed to be done.
“It wasn’t enough to do what is necessary,” he said.
“We need to do it once, and do it right.”
State Labor leader Chris Minns was also present at the announcement, and said the project would allow the government to implement a recommendation from the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
“It‘s been one year since the recommendation was handed down, we need to get on with it,” he said.
“We believe it will save lives.”
The need to advance emergency medical and disaster services was one of the first things Labor’s Bega candidate Michael Holland mentioned to Mr Minns after announcing his candidacy, the state Labor leader said.
The former obstetrician-gynaecologist told reporters on Thursday at the RFS Hall that he had witnessed first hand the difficulty in co-ordinating emergency response efforts during a crisis.
“I have lived experience, witnessing the difficulty co-ordinating emergency response by defending clinically and physically the Moruya District Hospital, which was threatened by fire,” Mr Holland said.
“This precinct will be a critical resource to help our emergency services and community deal with future natural disasters.”
The outspoken medical advocate lamented that fact it took the intervention of political elections for the plans to be moved forward, including at the new Moruya hospital.
“Unfortunately, our community should have had this within the last two years,” he said.
“It shouldn’t have taken a by-election for some response from our NSW government.”
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