New SES facility for Toowoomba region

Published Tuesday, 25 September, 2018 at 05:13 PM

JOINT STATEMENT

Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Cameron Dick

Minister for Fire and Emergency Services
The Honourable Craig Crawford

The Palaszczuk Government has committed $1 million to Toowoomba Regional Council to contribute to a new regional SES headquarters in Charlton.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new SES Operations Centre would allow the SES to better respond to disasters.  

“Toowoomba is no stranger to natural disasters and I am sure most of us will remember the devastating flooding that hit city in early 2011,” the Premier said.

“We know from experience informed and prepared communities are able to respond to disasters more quickly and this new SES facility in Charlton will help the Toowoomba region to do that.

“The new regional SES facility, which will locate both Toowoomba Regional Council and SES resources at Charlton, demonstrates how Council and the local community can partner together to share responsibility for their safety and preparedness and provide a coordinated response in an emergency.

“It will help promote awareness of risks and the options available for the community as a disaster approaches and share information, resources and new technologies at Council’s central operations centre.

“Through the combined networks of SES and Council, the best available information can be shared with the community, consistently through all channels.”

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said projects like this were vital in building resilience in local communities.

“Our government is committed to keeping communities safe and this purpose-built facility in Charlton will help achieve that,” he said.

“Toowoomba Regional Council has identified this as a priority project and at a grassroots level Toowoomba knows what’s best for Toowoomba.

“The new location, which is at the junction of major highways and roads for the region, will also allow for a swift response to disasters and the rapid deployment of resources throughout the region as required.

“The new space at Charlton has been designed in coordination with the SES Regional Unit and Toowoomba Group to ensure efficient and effective communication is possible to assist the SES to respond as quickly as possible to disasters.”

Minister for Emergency Services Craig Crawford said: “This project will strengthen the partnership between Council, SES and state disaster coordination, enabling the community to be better informed during and after disaster events through combining of efforts and resources.

“Our government is committed to helping Queenslanders be more prepared, responsive and able to recover more quickly from disasters as part of the Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience to make Queensland the most disaster resilient state in Australia.”

Toowoomba Regional Council estimates the total cost of the project will be around $2 million with works to be completed in early 2020.

ENDS

 

Media contact:

Michelle Wellington 0437 323 834