The following statement can be attributed to the Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett.
“Today we’ve seen a huge win for the Bundaberg Region.
For years we’ve been fighting for answers on this new fire station on behalf of our hard-working fire fighters.
Sadly, our region knows all too well how fast and devastating a bushfire or housefire can be.
With substantial population growth, particularly along the coast, it was paramount that this fire station became a reality.
At the beginning of the year we again we put the Minister on notice in Parliament in an attempt to gain answers, unsurprisingly we were ignored. *
Again, we used Estimates just last week to find the answers our community so desperately wanted.
Minister Boyd’s train-wreck Estimates performance forced the Labor government to come out today and make the new fire station announcement for Ashfield Road. **
For that I am grateful and welcome the news our community and firies have been waiting for.
Thank you to all those fire fighters who came to my office, never gave up, and persisted until this announcement became a reality.
Today’s announcement was clearly an attempt to cover up the Minister’s embarrassing mistake; a move from a desperate government who will say and do anything to cling to power.
But it shouldn’t take a ‘mistake’ to get Bundaberg and Burnett the answers we need.
Our region deserves so much better.
I look forward to seeing construction start on the new station to ensure our region is protected into the future.”
* QON: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2024/41-2024.pdf
** Estimates Hearing (Friday 26th July 2024). Page 79, 80: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/events/han/2024/2024_07_26_EstimatesCSLC.pdf
ENDS.
20/07/2024