Police: Sebastopol Station

During  the last  election  campaign  the now government  promised  the  people  of Sebastopol  a  police  station.  This  was confirmed in a response to a question on notice from the Minister for Police and Emergency Services,  who  stated that  the  government committed to  invest $2.5 million  to upgrade the police  facilities at North  Ballarat  and Sebastopol to enable them to function fully as police stations.

It now seems that this election commitment is in jeopardy and that the people of Sebastopol may not get the police station that was promised to them. The Courier revealed recently that the police station promised to Sebastopol may in fact  go to the  Ballarat West growth zone. My response to this  is that I agree that the Ballarat West growth zone may need a police station in the future, but not at the expense of Sebastopol.

I would say loudly and clearly to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services that the people  of Sebastopol are very unhappy that the police station promised to them may end  up in what is currently  an empty paddock in the  west. I would say loudly and clearly to the Minister  for  Police  and Emergency Services that the  people  of  Sebastopol will not allow their police station  –  the  police station they were promised, the police station they expect –  to go to the west without a fight.

I  join  with  the  people  of  Sebastopol  in  saying,  ‘Fulfil  your  election commitment, and tell us when we will get our police station’.

I strongly urge  the Minister  for Police  and Emergency Services to get on with the job  of establishing a  fully  functioning police station  in Sebastopol and North Ballarat and to allocate funding for a police station in the Ballarat West growth zone in the next budget.