Bolstering Emergency Services

The Nationals WA will deliver a $7 million multipurpose and evacuation centre for Kalbarri, finally providing the
community with a safe, purpose-built facility in the event of future natural disasters.

Nationals WA candidate for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr announced the commitment in the Shire of Northampton
today, alongside Leader Shane Love MLA and Legislative Council candidate Rob Horstman, saying the facility
was long overdue after the devastation caused by Cyclone Seroja in 2021.

“Cyclone Seroja was one of the most destructive natural disasters in WA’s history, and it exposed the urgent need
for a dedicated evacuation centre in Kalbarri,” Ms Warr said.

“Four years later, Kalbarri residents and visitors still have nowhere safe to go in an emergency, and it’s simply
unacceptable.”

The multipurpose centre will not only serve as a critical evacuation point, but will also provide year-round benefits
to the community, including facilities for social events, performances, sporting activities, and community
programs.

“The Nationals in Government will work closely with the Kalbarri community and the Shire of Northampton to
ensure this facility meets local needs and deliver long-term benefits,” Ms Warr said.

“The $7 million commitment from Royalties for Regions will fully fund the project, ensuring Kalbarri gets the
infrastructure it needs without unnecessary delays.”

Ms Warr also took aim at the WA Labor Government’s failure to support Kalbarri and the wider Mid West in the
wake of Cyclone Seroja.

“The Cook Labor Government promised the world after Cyclone Seroja – but almost four years later, they’ve
failed to deliver even the basics,” Ms Warr said.

“They pledged $104.5 million in disaster recovery funding, yet less than 10 per cent of that money ever reached
the people who needed it.

“The slow and mismanaged recovery effort left many families unable to rebuild their homes, and some were
forced to leave the region altogether.

“This clearly shows the value of the Nationals previously committed plan to establish the Western Australian
Resilience & Recovery Agency – a standalone agency tasked with managing community recovery after disaster.”

Leader Shane Love MLA welcomed the commitment, praising Ms Warr for her tireless advocacy.

“The fact that there is still no evacuation centre in Kalbarri after almost four years is an absolute disgrace,” Mr
Love said.

“As Chapman Valley Shire President and Vice Chair of the Cyclone Seroja Local Recovery Coordination Group,
Kirrilee Warr has been on the ground helping her community rebuild. She knows what Kalbarri needs, and she
will fight for it.”

The Nationals in Government will invest $136 million to purchase a Western Australian owned aerial
firefighting fleet and deliver a much-needed boost to local government volunteer facilities and staffing to
keep WA families and communities safe.

Leader Shane Love MLA and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Martin Aldridge MLC announced
the commitment today to make WA a national leader in aviation firefighting.

Mr Love said $60 million would fund the purchase of a WA owned Aerial Firefighting Fleet, including a
C130 Large Air Tanker, lead plane, and four Blackhawk helicopters, providing WA with a year-round
response to bushfires and other natural disasters.

“Over 90 per cent of WA is bushfire prone, and a drying climate means our bushfire season is getting
longer, hotter, and more dangerous than ever before, yet we continue to rely on leased aircraft from
outside of Australia to fulfil our rapid aerial response,” Mr Love said.

“WA currently spends $11 million over four years to lease a large air tanker from overseas for just
three months of the year, and another $10.1 million over two years for just two Blackhawk Helicopters.

“It would be far greater value for money for WA taxpayers, and provide a far greater service to WA, if these
aircraft were purchased, owned, and operated in WA, year-round.”

Mr Love said the recent Bushfire Royal Commission – in the wake of the horrific 2019-20 bushfire season
– recommended a sovereign aerial firefighting capability be progressed.

“The Royal Commission called for all States and Territories to take a greater role in their aerial firefighting
needs, but the Cook Labor Government has failed to show any leadership,” Mr Love said.

“Relying on other States to provide aircraft in an emergency is a recipe for disaster, with the report
pointing out WA was particularly vulnerable due to its distance, resulting in difficulties and delays in
obtaining aircraft at crucial times.

“When disaster struck near Cervantes last month, WA had no LAT available, because our lease does not
begin until December 1, meaning we were reliant on borrowing aircraft from interstate.

“The Nationals in Government will deliver a significant investment into our emergency services by
purchasing a WA Aerial Firefighting Fleet which will make WA a leader in disaster preparedness and
response, and which will keep communities safe.”

Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Martin Aldridge MLC said The Nationals WA would also deliver a
$76 million boost to local governments to fund upgrades and improvements for fire stations, SES facilities,
and provide additional staffing for emergency management.

“Local government volunteers are responsible for the initial fire response to over 90 per cent of WA’s
landmass, and The Nationals WA will deliver a huge funding boost to help fund much-needed
improvements to bushfire and SES facilities,” Mr Aldridge said.

In the most recent round of the Local Government Grants Scheme (LGGS), the State Government paid
out just $3 million in facilities funding, yet a further 82 applications which met the grants criteria, totalling
over $35 million, were left unfunded.

“The Nationals in Government will deliver a one-off $45.5 million commitment to clear the backlog of
requests and commit additional annual funding, worth $2.8 million, to the LGGS each year to ensure it is
sustainable into the future.”

A further $20 million over four years will fund the expansion of the Community Emergency Service
Manager Program with the creation of an additional 27 positions working across 54 local government
areas, funded through the Emergency Services Levy.

“Local Government’s have long been calling for an expansion of this program, which will help bolster local
emergency management capability across prevention, preparedness, response and recovery,” Mr Aldridge
said.

The Nationals WA have previously committed to establish a new, standalone recovery agency – the WA
Recovery and Resilience Agency – and to expand presumptive Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
protections to all emergency service volunteers.

The Nationals WA will commit $45 million to purchase a new rescue helicopter and fund its ongoing operating costs in Geraldton and the Mid West when returned to Government in 2025.

Leader of The Nationals WA and Mid West MP Shane Love said the policy was essential to save lives and improve health outcomes in regional WA.

“It’s diabolical that a State Government which has posted successive billion-dollar budget surpluses has ignored communities in the Mid West on this critical issue,” Mr Love said.

“The Chief Health Officer, the State Coroner, WA health academics and emergency service volunteers have all outlined the clear and pressing need to establish a rescue helicopter in the Mid West, yet it has fallen on the deaf ears of the Cook Labor Government.

“The Nationals WA will fund the purchase and operating costs of a new helicopter, delivering the most significant expansion to WA’s rescue helicopter fleet in a decade.”

Mr Love said the Chief Health Officer’s aeromedical inquiry, which was published in 2022 and had been ignored by the State Government, confirmed there was a strong case for a rescue helicopter in the region.

“There were almost 3,000 priority 1 ambulance cases within 400 kilometres of Geraldton in 2020-21, giving a clear indication of the need for a rescue chopper,” Mr Love said.

“The Mid West is also one of WA’s worst regions for road safety by population, with over 1,800 crashes, including 46 fatalities in the last four years.”

Candidate for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr said she was pleased to make the Mid West Rescue Helicopter her first election pledge.

“A rescue helicopter based out of Geraldton will have the capacity to save lives relating to road trauma, provide rescue at sea, help with search and rescue operations or in an emergency, and rapidly transport patients to Perth for medical treatment,” Ms Warr said.

“The Mid West is the largest population area in WA without rescue helicopter coverage.

“Why should residents and visitors to Geraldton, Northampton and beyond have to accept a substandard level of healthcare and emergency response than those in the South West?”

Ms Warr said Geraldton and the Mid West were growing tourism hotspots, while a drastic increase in heavy vehicle movements in the region was taking its toll on local roads.

“Over 100,000 tourists visit Kalbarri every year, and the local SES regularly responds to search and rescues or calls for assistance stemming from the Kalbarri National Park.

“The Abrolhos Islands are also a growing tourism hotspot, but medical services are limited, and when conditions are poor, it can take several hours to access these islands by boat.

“Closer to home, St John Ambulance volunteers tell me some regional roads have been so deteriorated by road-trains they need to call the Royal Flying Doctor Service because they can’t transport patients down these dangerous roads.”

Ms Warr paid tribute to Marine Rescue volunteer Ian Dempsey who has championed the need for a rescue helicopter for several years.

“Ian has organised not one, but two petitions to the State Parliament, with a combined 4,000 signatures calling for a rescue helicopter to help save lives in his region.

“Despite setbacks and dismissal from the Cook Labor Government, Ian has never given up and I praise his hard work in advocating for his community,” Ms Warr said.

Shadow Emergency Services Minister Martin Aldridge said The Nationals WA had a long-standing commitment to establish a rescue helicopter in the Mid West.

“Our commitment will not only fund a new Mid West Rescue Helicopter based in Geraldton, but will also ensure a landing pad is constructed as part of the long-delayed redevelopment of the Geraldton Health Campus.

“The Chief Health Officer’s aeromedical inquiry found hospital helipad infrastructure to be inadequate and was severely limiting the expansion of the
rescue helicopter network.

“A rescue helicopter and associated infrastructure will improve health outcomes in the Mid West and save lives by ensuring help is on hand sooner.”

The last significant expansion of the rescue helicopter network was delivered by The Nationals in Government in 2013, when the South West rescue
helicopter was established and funded through Royalties for Regions.

Mr Aldridge said The Nationals WA would also consider further expansions of the rescue helicopter fleet in line with the recommendations made by the aeromedical inquiry

The Nationals WA will establish a new lead agency to manage disaster recovery and make WA communities safer and more resilient if returned to Government at the 2025 State election, to be known as the WA Resilience & Recovery Agency.

Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love MLA made the announcement while in Northampton and Kalbarri this week, three years on from the devastation of Cyclone Seroja, alongside local community leaders and impacted businesses.

“A WA Resilience & Recovery Agency, modelled on similar agencies already operating successfully in other jurisdictions, will ensure WA communities can rebuild, recover and reconnect sooner and more effectively in the aftermath of a disaster,” Mr Love said.

“It will take a proactive approach to keeping communities safe by reducing risks, helping communities prepare for disaster, and building resilience capacity at a local level.

“The agency will also take the lead in administering funding following disasters, ensuring it reaches those in need in a timely manner, reducing the haphazard approach to recovery grants, and providing greater transparency and accountability.”

Mr Love said the State Government’s woeful response to Cyclone Seroja, which saw just $8.8 million out of a promised $104.5 million Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements package reach the ground as a clear example of why a standalone agency was needed.

“Many families, businesses and communities found the recovery grants offered following Cyclone Seroja difficult to access or too restrictive in how they could be used,” Mr Love said.

“It was shameful to see the majority of this vital funding returned to State and Federal consolidated revenue instead of helping communities and households rebuild and recover.”

Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Martin Aldridge MLC said the WA Resilience & Recovery Agency would provide a dedicated recovery capability, taking pressure off local governments, emergency service volunteers, community groups and other agencies.

“Under existing arrangements, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services is often only responsible for immediate disaster response, leaving local governments, community groups and volunteers to do the heavy lifting with their long-term recovery,” Mr Aldridge said.

“As we saw following the Wooroloo Bushfire, Cyclone Seroja, and the Kimberley floods, recovery can take months or even years, and many local governments have limited capacity to coordinate and undertake recovery activities on such a significant scale.

“Numerous reports, including the Bushfire Royal Commission, have called for State Governments to take a larger role in disaster preparedness and recovery, and that is something The Nationals will deliver by establishing a WA Reconstruction Authority.”

Mr Aldridge said the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) was regarded in the emergency services community as a ‘best practice’ model for disaster recovery.

“In 2022-23 alone, the QRA provided almost $1.5 billion in disaster recovery support and grants funding, responded to events across 57 local government areas, and secured $670 million in Commonwealth funding for Queensland,” Mr Aldridge said.

“This is many orders of magnitude beyond what WA has been able to deliver to help disaster impacted communities build back sooner and stronger, showing just how inadequate our current recovery model is.”

The Nationals WA candidate for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr welcomed the announcement.

“As someone who witnessed firsthand the impact of Cyclone Seroja in my community and across the Mid West region, it’s critical that we learn from this disaster and improve our capacity for disaster recovery into the future,” Ms Warr said.

“The WA Resilience & Recovery Agency will help to create stronger, safer and more resilient WA communities, and ensure families, businesses and primary producers can access funding and support to get back on with their lives sooner.”