Tuesday, 21 June 2022

Country Fire Authority South Warrandyte station

Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (12:44): It is hard sometimes to comprehend the contempt in which this Labor government holds my community. When we were last in government we committed funding to the integrated station at South Warrandyte, leaving the volunteer station at Brumbys Road empty. For six years I have approached this government about the use of that station for a number of community groups—the local men’s shed, the local scouts—and I have even put forward, supported by our local paramedic, that the station be used as an ambulance station.

Every time I have raised these issues with the government I have been continuously told that the government is going to use this property for its own uses, perhaps for CFA uses. Whatever the case, the place has remained empty for six years. Any number of these different groups could have utilised that space, but instead the government just completely and stubbornly said that they would not let any community group use it. About a month ago the government put it up for sale; it was advertised to be auctioned off. When I raised in this place that the proper process had not been followed—that the building had not been offered to local government—the sale was pulled. This Saturday it is going up for auction again. The government has refused to let my community use this building for six years. Now it is putting it up for auction. It is an absolute disgrace. The building was largely paid for by the community. The fact that the government is going down this path shows the utter contempt that this government has for the Warrandyte community.