TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (09:44): I rise today to report to the chamber that the Port Fairy SES is now complete. It was a wonderful occasion. I was joined by the Port Fairy SES unit members, their controller Hannah Morris and former controller Stephen McDowell, Jacinta Ermacora, my fellow Western Victoria upper house member, mayor Karen Foster, SES officials and the wider Port Fairy community to celebrate this fantastic milestone. I am so proud that our government invested over $4 million to ensure the Port Fairy unit and community have the state-of-the-art facilities that they deserve.
This facility truly is for the whole community. It is co-located with the Port Fairy CFA station, which we built with a $2.8 million investment, allowing joint training sessions and maximising both organisations’ capabilities in the region. It boasts a meeting room which is fully accessible, having features such as hearing loops, which unit controller Hannah Morris described as a hub for the whole community. It is this dedication to the local community that defines this wonderful unit, and I would like to acknowledge the years of advocacy undertaken by them to make this dream a reality. In particular I would like to thank former unit controller Stephen McDowell for his leadership and the work he has done to ensure that this unit goes from strength to strength. I would like to congratulate Stephen, who now serves as operation manager, unit support, for the Barwon south-west region. Thank you, Stephen, Hannah and the unit’s volunteers and families for all the work that you do in our region and in all of our communities.