Crisafulli Government delivering long-overdue Triple Zero Operations Centre for Cairns

• Construction is now underway on a brand-new $31.9 million Queensland Ambulance Service Operations Centre and Regional Office in Cairns.
• The purpose-built facility will increase capacity to accommodate more Emergency Call Takers and Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) who support Queenslanders needing urgent assistance.
• In 2017, the former Labor Government announced the redevelopment to be completed in 2020, however, they failed to begin construction.
• The Crisafulli Government is delivering health services when you need them and will deliver the Cairns Operations Centre. 

The Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services for Far North Queenslanders, with construction now underway on a brand-new $31.9 million Queensland Ambulance Service Triple Zero (000) Operations Centre and Regional Office in Cairns. 
 
The new facility will strengthen emergency response capability across the Far North and support the highly skilled Emergency Call Takers and Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) who answer the community’s most urgent calls for help. 
 
In the 2024–25 financial year alone, Queensland Ambulance Service staff answered more than 1.2 million Triple Zero calls from Queenslanders needing urgent assistance. 
 
This new emergency services operations centre and regional office is a long-overdue investment in the Far North, after the former Labor Government announced the redevelopment in 2017 but in their seven years of planning work, failed to deliver on that promise.   

Now, under the Crisafulli Government, the Centre includes improved flood and stormwater immunity for buildings, car parking, and the infrastructure to deliver operational continuity of service in critical weather events, improving emergency response for Far North communities.   

The modern facility will feature 12 purpose-built workstations for Operations Centre staff, with capacity for future expansion as demand for emergency services continues to grow. 

Once the new Operations Centre and Regional Office is complete, Stage Two of the project will redevelop the Cairns Ambulance Station, further strengthening emergency services capability in the region. 
 
The project forms part of the Crisafulli Government’s broader plan to deliver health services when you need them across Far North Queensland, which includes the Cairns Hospital Master Plan and delivery of an expanded and upgraded transit lounge to improve patient flow. 

The Crisafulli Government is also delivering a record investment in elective surgery and the introduction of a new paramedic role supporting healthcare in some of the Far North’s most remote communities. 
 
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government was delivering easier access to health services after Labor’s decade of decline. 
 
“Queenslanders voted for a fresh start and for a government focused on restoring the health system,” Minister Nicholls said. 
 
“Labor announced this Queensland Ambulance Service project almost eight years ago and promised to open it in 2020, but they never funded it and never got on with construction. 
 
“This new purpose-built Operations Centre will ensure our Emergency Call Takers and dispatchers have the modern facilities they need to continue delivering lifesaving care for Far North Queenslanders.” 
 
Member for Barron River Bree James said the new Operations Centre would strengthen emergency services capability across the region. 
 
“This project is about delivering for Far North Queensland and making sure the people answering our Triple Zero calls have the facilities and support they need to do their job,” Ms James said. 
 
“This overdue new facility will support these highly skilled professionals to continue delivering lifesaving assistance for our community.” 
 
QAS Assistant Commissioner for the Far Northern Region Brina Keating said the new centre would strengthen the region’s emergency response capability. 
 
“Our Emergency Call Takers and Emergency Medical Dispatchers are the unseen frontline of pre-hospital emergency care,” Assistant Commissioner Keating said. 
 
“They provide reassurance and critical guidance to Queenslanders 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 
 
“This new Operations Centre will bring our teams together in a modern workspace designed to support the important work they do every day.” 
 
ENDS  

MEDIA CONTACT: Emma Morton, 0410 657 890