Tamworth South Ambulance Station to receive upgrades, Kevin Anderson MP, Australian Paramedics Association delegates announce

On Wednesday, MP Kevin Anderson said Tamworth South Ambulance Station had secured funding for urgent upgrades. He also joined the push for a total rebuild of the 100-year-old city ambulance station on Marius St.

It follows a protracted campaign by the Australian Paramedics Union for station maintenance across the New England sector.

“Urgent maintenance will be undertaken here at South Tamworth. There are a number of issues that haven’t been addressed for a long while,” Mr Anderson said.

The work will include fixing a roller door that has been out of action since June. Mr Anderson said it was all part of maintaining a “safe” environment for staff and the work would be carried out “as soon as possible.”

“The bigger plan I have is a brand new Ambulance Station, while we work towards that we still have to maintain the facilities we have,” he said.

APA delegate Scott Clarke welcomed the upgrades but said it was “frustrating” it took months of campaigning to achieve. He said there was still no funding announced for maintenance issues in other parts of the region.

“We’ve identified New England as ground zero for maintenance issues across the state. Ambulance have come to the table and identified there’s a problem – the difficulty remains funding,” he said.

“It certainly is a work in progress, it’s great we have a commitment to fix maintenance issues starting here at Tamworth, but we’ll be watching very carefully to make sure the money gets spent appropriately.”

An Ambulance spokesperson said stations are on a scheduled maintenance list and works will be finalised as soon as possible. “NSW Ambulance conducted building assessments on 190 Ambulance stations across NSW. These building assessments have identified some key areas where work will be scheduled as a priority,” the spokesperson said. “Work Health & Safety upgrades will be fast tracked.”