IF elected on May 21 an Albanese Labor government says it will invest $3.75 million towards an emergency management precinct in the City of Wanneroo.
Two Rocks, Quinns Rocks and Wanneroo Central volunteer bushfire brigades along with the Wanneroo Volunteer Fire Support Brigade are the city’s four volunteer bushfire brigades.
Labor candidate for Pearce Tracey Roberts said Neerabup was the preferred location for the emergency management precinct.
Yanchep News Online understands land in the vicinity of Old Yanchep Rd and Cecil Rd could be a potential site with the design of a proposed centre likely to be similar to the Gingin Emergency Services Centre but with more land to accommodate all the vehicles necessary for a major bushfire response, two entrances and room to land a helicopter.
Labor said the City of Wanneroo has no level 3 incident control centre, which had resulted in the deployment of transportable and temporary facilities to the former Dizzy Lamb Park site in Carabooda during the 2019 Yanchep bushfire.
Mrs Roberts said a new site would also allow the city’s brigades to grow.
Labor’s Trade and Resources spokeswoman Madeleine King said there was no time limit on the funding commitment.
If elected Labor plans to revamp the Morrison government’s emergency response fund so the the disaster management plan would be funded through Labor’s disaster ready fund, which would invest up to $200m per year on disaster prevention and resilience.
In a joint statement Labor’s Disaster and Emergency Management spokesman Senator Murray Watt and Mrs Roberts said three years after it was announced, the $4.8 billion emergency response fund had not spent a cent on disaster recovery and has not completed a single disaster prevention project.
“All it has done is earn the Morrison government over $800m in interest,’’ they said.
Mrs Roberts said the volunteer firefighters did an incredible job in saving lives and properties in the 2019 Yanchep bushfire and during emergency events since.
“It is wonderful to see their dedication and commitment recognised and appreciated by federal Labor,’’ she said.
“I am proud to have secured this funding commitment to support our local volunteer firefighters in their response to emergencies.”
At a press conference this morning Yanchep News Online asked Mrs Roberts if she was elected whether she would look into what could be done to put power underground in bushfire prone areas such as Yanchep National Park.
Mrs Roberts said that was one suggestion which had come out of the Yanchep bushfire so advocacy and consultation would continue.
