The Nationals WA will commit $45 million to purchase a new rescue helicopter and fund its ongoing operating costs in Geraldton and the Mid West when returned to Government in 2025.
Leader of The Nationals WA and Mid West MP Shane Love said the policy was essential to save lives and improve health outcomes in regional WA.
“It’s diabolical that a State Government which has posted successive billion-dollar budget surpluses has ignored communities in the Mid West on this critical issue,” Mr Love said.
“The Chief Health Officer, the State Coroner, WA health academics and emergency service volunteers have all outlined the clear and pressing need to establish a rescue helicopter in the Mid West, yet it has fallen on the deaf ears of the Cook Labor Government.
“The Nationals WA will fund the purchase and operating costs of a new helicopter, delivering the most significant expansion to WA’s rescue helicopter fleet in a decade.”
Mr Love said the Chief Health Officer’s aeromedical inquiry, which was published in 2022 and had been ignored by the State Government, confirmed there was a strong case for a rescue helicopter in the region.
“There were almost 3,000 priority 1 ambulance cases within 400 kilometres of Geraldton in 2020-21, giving a clear indication of the need for a rescue chopper,” Mr Love said.
“The Mid West is also one of WA’s worst regions for road safety by population, with over 1,800 crashes, including 46 fatalities in the last four years.”
Candidate for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr said she was pleased to make the Mid West Rescue Helicopter her first election pledge.
“A rescue helicopter based out of Geraldton will have the capacity to save lives relating to road trauma, provide rescue at sea, help with search and rescue operations or in an emergency, and rapidly transport patients to Perth for medical treatment,” Ms Warr said.
“The Mid West is the largest population area in WA without rescue helicopter coverage.
“Why should residents and visitors to Geraldton, Northampton and beyond have to accept a substandard level of healthcare and emergency response than those in the South West?”
Ms Warr said Geraldton and the Mid West were growing tourism hotspots, while a drastic increase in heavy vehicle movements in the region was taking its toll on local roads.
“Over 100,000 tourists visit Kalbarri every year, and the local SES regularly responds to search and rescues or calls for assistance stemming from the Kalbarri National Park.
“The Abrolhos Islands are also a growing tourism hotspot, but medical services are limited, and when conditions are poor, it can take several hours to access these islands by boat.
“Closer to home, St John Ambulance volunteers tell me some regional roads have been so deteriorated by road-trains they need to call the Royal Flying Doctor Service because they can’t transport patients down these dangerous roads.”
Ms Warr paid tribute to Marine Rescue volunteer Ian Dempsey who has championed the need for a rescue helicopter for several years.
“Ian has organised not one, but two petitions to the State Parliament, with a combined 4,000 signatures calling for a rescue helicopter to help save lives in his region.
“Despite setbacks and dismissal from the Cook Labor Government, Ian has never given up and I praise his hard work in advocating for his community,” Ms Warr said.
Shadow Emergency Services Minister Martin Aldridge said The Nationals WA had a long-standing commitment to establish a rescue helicopter in the Mid West.
“Our commitment will not only fund a new Mid West Rescue Helicopter based in Geraldton, but will also ensure a landing pad is constructed as part of the long-delayed redevelopment of the Geraldton Health Campus.
“The Chief Health Officer’s aeromedical inquiry found hospital helipad infrastructure to be inadequate and was severely limiting the expansion of the
rescue helicopter network.
“A rescue helicopter and associated infrastructure will improve health outcomes in the Mid West and save lives by ensuring help is on hand sooner.”
The last significant expansion of the rescue helicopter network was delivered by The Nationals in Government in 2013, when the South West rescue
helicopter was established and funded through Royalties for Regions.
Mr Aldridge said The Nationals WA would also consider further expansions of the rescue helicopter fleet in line with the recommendations made by the aeromedical inquiry
