A NEW St Arnaud ambulance station is under construction after being granted money from the state government.
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The government pledged $2.1 million for the works.
The money came from a $518 million ambulance expansion package started by the government, which was announced in 2016.
Premier Daniel Andrews, during a visit to St Arnaud on Friday, said it was his pleasure to announce the construction of the new ambulance base.
“The current ambulance station was built in 1969 and is showing its age. It’s not big enough, it doesn’t have the modern, first-class facilities our paramedics and those who support them need,” he said.
Mr Andrews said paramedics and supporting staff should be proud of what their work.
He said it was important to have the best working environment possible.
“We’ve seen significant improvements to code one emergency response times in St Arnaud,” he said
“That’s down to the hard work, commitment and passion of these guys. This modern, state-of-the-art ambulance station is exactly what these paramedics, local community and district needs.
“With the best facilities (and) with strong support from the government, I am confident Ambulance Victoria can continue to save lives, to change lives, to deliver better and improved performances.”
Mr Andrews said he believed the new ambulance base would bolster response times.
“Arguably, nothing is more important than when you make that triple-zero call that you can rely on a properly resourced ambulance service to be there when it matters,” he said.
“This will help recruit more staff, attract new ambulance, paramedical science graduates come work in this community or use this as a base to work more broadly.”
Mr Andrews said the money was one way the government could show its thanks to Ambulance Victoria staff.
He said paramedics had a crucial role in the region.