Labor pledges $7.1m ambulance station for towns west of Ballarat
Labor pledges $7.1 million for an ambulance station at Smythesdale to serve towns west of Ballarat facing critical response delays.
Towns west of Ballarat face some of Victoria's slowest ambulance response times. A 30-kilometre gap in emergency services exists between Sebastopol and Skipton.
Paramedics serving Smythesdale and other communities must travel from stations up to more than 30 kilometres away. Only 31.3 per cent of critical emergencies in Golden Plains Shire reach patients within Victoria's 15-minute target.
This compares to 74 per cent in Ballarat itself. Labor member Martha Haylett pledged $7.1 million to build an Ambulance Victoria branch at Smythesdale if re-elected.
Golden Plains Shire Council says the station would save lives in one of Victoria's fastest-growing regions. Calls for the station stretch back more than 12 years.
Why it mattersA 30-kilometre ambulance gap means life-threatening delays for residents in a growing corridor; a dedicated station cuts response times and improves survival odds in cardiac emergencies.
AustraliaResidents of Ballarat's western towns and Golden Plains Shire will see faster ambulance response if the pledge is delivered, potentially cutting the 21-minute average closer to Ballarat's 14-minute standard.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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