State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland praised the CFA volunteers for their service and said that an upgrade needed to come before a major fire exposed the inadequate facilities.
“These volunteers drop everything when the pager goes off, and they come back to a station where they can’t even wash their hands,” Ms Cleeland said.
The current facility in Strathbogie only has enough room for two of the three trucks operated by the brigade and does not have running water or a toilet.
An upgraded facility would include a bay for all three trucks, a meeting room, communications room and female change rooms and toilets.
The commitment is part of the Liberal and Nationals' Fair Share Guarantee, which would see regional Victoria receive a level of infrastructure funding proportional to the population.
“Our CFA volunteers have never waited for perfect conditions before stepping up,” Ms Cleeland said.
“They have protected this community through some incredibly difficult fire seasons.
“It's time we properly protected them.”
Nationals leader and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Danny O’Brien said the CFA had been consistently underfunded.
“We have a long way to go to ensure our volunteers get their fair share of infrastructure and equipment,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This new station for Strathbogie is a step in that direction, and it’s a credit to the hard work and lobbying of Annabelle Cleeland on behalf of her community that we are announcing this commitment.”
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