TRANSCRIPT:
I want to express my sincere appreciation for all the SES units across Euroa electorate, who continue to show incredible courage, composure and expertise even in the most challenging circumstances. In towns like Euroa, Seymour, Benalla, Heathcote, Murchison and Kilmore the local SES units have been at the forefront of all recovery efforts, from floods, storms and power outages to car accidents. So often with accidents in small towns the first responders are neighbours, friends and loved ones, making this an incredibly tough role for these volunteers to have.
In January the Euroa SES diligently responded to more than 50 call-outs in a single night after heavy storms wiped out power for much of the town. For a town of just 3000 people this is an incredible demonstration of local volunteers stepping up to help their community. This week I met with John Koutras, the unit controller for SES Kilmore, and witnessed their rapid response to a code 1 rescue call, the most severe and often life-threatening situation. Within 7 minutes Cheryl, Simon, Kerry and John sprang into action, leaving their day jobs without hesitation to aid someone in distress. This is a small unit yet one that has already been called out to 191 requests for assistance in the year to date.
I call on the Treasurer to offer our SES units protection from funding cuts and provide security to these volunteer forces that are saving lives each and every day. Our SES units continue to do amazing things with a limited budget.