STAFF WRITERS
THE Nationals Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, has called on the state government to deliver a Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) station promised for Moe on the eve of the November State Election.
The night before Victorians went to the polls, the state government candidate for the seat of Morwell announced on Facebook that the Old Baw Baw Hotel on Lloyd Street, an eyesore that has sat derelict for many years, would be the site for the new FRV station. The dilapidated Old Baw Baw Hotel site is one of the first things that greets drivers when they exit the freeway from Melbourne and, despite a site clean-up order being issued in 2015, it has remained untouched and unmaintained. “Labor touted the new station as ‘an investment in Moe’s future, for a Moe we’re all proud of’, complete with a high-level artist’s impression of what it would look like and an admission the site in its current state was ‘derelict’,” Mr Cameron said. “For over seven years this site has been a source of frustration for Moe residents. It’s rundown, dilapidated and – given it was built before 1990 – likely contains asbestos of some form. Residents say it’s also a hot spot for anti-social behaviour.” In Parliament last week (February 22), Mr Cameron asked the Minister for Emergency Services, Jaclyn Symes, when the build of the new FRV station would start, and called on the state government to commit to and publish a timeline for delivery of the project. The Minister has 30 days to respond to Mr Cameron’s question. “Instead of leaving the Old Baw Baw Hotel site to sit idle any longer and detract from the amenity of the town, the state government must make good on its promise to deliver a much-needed FRV station for Moe,” Mr Cameron said. “The Andrews Labor Government has already left a trail of broken promises across the Valley, including the construction of an electrical vehicle manufacturing facility that was supposed to create jobs, and we cannot afford to let something as vital as a new fire station suffer the same fate.”
