August 28, 2013
Federal Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd has announced that a Coalition Government would fund the construction of a Disaster Management Co-Ordination Centre at Gayndah Airport if it wins the upcoming Federal Election.
“This project will see the construction of a facility that will be used as a central co-ordination point for emergency services during natural disasters and will bring the establishment of the Gayndah Airport as a regional emergency services hub one step closer to reality,” Mr O’Dowd said.
“Gayndah’s central location in the Burnett Region means it’s ideally located for such a facility and I believe this project will be a significant asset for emergency services and greatly increase their ability to respond to a disaster situation in a co-ordinated manner.
“This project has been developed by the North Burnett Regional Council as a direct result of the 2013 floods and the Coalition will commit $1,106,460 to see the project come to fruition if elected to government on September 7.
“After the severe flooding we saw in the Burnett region and many other parts of Flynn in January this year I embarked on a tour of the region to assess the situation firsthand with the Leader of the Nationals Warren Truss and Shadow Agriculture Minister John Cobb.
“The level of devastation to the region was unprecedented and our emergency services did an amazing job responding to the situation.
“However the need for this project was clear and this commitment is a direct response to that need and highlights the Coalition’s commitment to our regional communities.”
