Mildura electorate
Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (14:52): (912) My constituency question today is for the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place, and I ask why the government is risking the lives of regional Victorians over our city cousins. This week FRV station 72 have once again had their reserve C pumper taken from Mildura to be used in Melbourne due to there being no other apparent alternatives available in the entire state. This truck crisis has once again left Mildura without its reserve pumper, meaning that if a significant incident occurs – and we are in the middle of wheat and barley harvest, so grassfires are aplenty and temperatures are on the increase – both the staff trucks from station 72 will be at that job, leaving the rest of the community with no guaranteed response because, more than likely, the CFA brigades will all be at that incident as well. Why is the minister putting the lives of regional Victorians at risk?