The Andrews Labor Government today announced that Dandenong Ambulance Station will be rebuilt as part of a $20 million investment to modernise and upgrade ambulance facilities across Victoria.

Dandenong Ambulance Station is 50 years old and the building is in extremely poor condition. It lacks adequate facilities, such as rest facilities, and also has a number of occupational health and safety issues that pose a risk to local paramedics.

Other branches that will be upgraded include Kew Ambulance Station and Preston Ambulance Station in metropolitan Melbourne, and Echuca, Orbost, and Sale Ambulance Stations in regional Victoria.

The Government has worked with Ambulance Victoria to identify branches with ageing facilities most in need of replacing and will announce more ambulance stations which will receive upgrades in coming weeks.

It’s crucial that Victoria’s ambulance branches are safe and fit-for-purpose, as well as comfortable and modern for paramedics who work long hours and often unsociable hours.

Work will commence in coming months on rebuilding Dandenong Ambulance Station.

The Andrews Labor Government has invested an extra $99 million in ambulance services in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget to deliver more ambulance services, upgrade ambulance branches and provide new and replacement vehicles and equipment. This extra funding will also provide increased support services for Victoria’s hardworking paramedics.

The Government has also removed red tape so that MICA paramedics can now use their skills wherever they’re located, including in non-MICA branches. This will mean better services and responses for Victorians, particularly in regional and rural areas.