Grant helps Coast Guard stay afloat

THE state government has invested more than $186,000 into the Queenscliff Coast Guard to improve its infrastructure and facilities.

Police and Emergency Services Minister and Bellarine MP Lisa Neville announced earlier this month that Queenscliff Coast Guard had received funding for vessel works, shed construction and site security improvements.

The improvements will include the construction of a three-bay shed to increase storage of essential equipment and vessels, as demand for rescue services continue to grow.

The improvements will enhance space for volunteer meetings and training sessions, with the site also undergoing security works, such as the replacement of fencing and gates.

The funding will also enable upgrades to the flotilla’s vessels, with an upgrade to its electronic navigation system that will improve compatibility and tracking with the Victoria Police Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

Queenscliff Coast Guard was established in 1971, and now boasts about 50 volunteers who respond to about 60 incidents annually.

The investment comes at the start of a busy summer period, which has already seen significant increases in incidents that are likely to continue throughout the boating season as Victorians emerge from a prolonged lockdown period.

The Queenscliff Coast Guard is one of 125 units sharing in $20 million in funding under the Emergency Services Refurbishment Fund, as part of the state government’s $2.7 billion Building Works package.

The Emergency Services Refurbishment Fund enables Victoria’s volunteer emergency services agencies to carry out urgent maintenance, repairs and upgrades to extend the life and improve safety of their existing facility, while providing support to Victorian businesses and workers affected by the downturn in the economy caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Projects will start in the coming weeks at local Country Fire Authority brigades, Victoria State Emergency Service units, Life Saving Victoria clubs and Marine Search and Rescue flotillas across Victoria.

“Queenscliff Coast Guard is a highly respected organisation not only locally but across the State and I am always pleased to work with them and support them,” Ms Neville said.

“Emergency service volunteers, like the Queenscliff Coast Guard, make selfless and brave contributions to local communities and the broader Victorian community, and these facilities help them get the job done.”

The funding will be administered by the Community Safety Building Authority, which oversees infrastructure projects on behalf
of the Department of Justice and Community Safety.