The Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP, Deputy Prime Minister,

Minister For Agriculture And Water Resources

Federal Member For New England

Senator The Hon. Fiona Nash, Minister For Regional Development,

Regional Communications And Rural Health

Senator For New South Wales

Senator The Hon. Nigel Scullion, Minister For Indigenous Affairs

Senator For The Northern Territory

Ms Tina Macfarlane, Country Liberals Candidate For Lingiari

Alice Springs will get bigger and better St John Ambulance training facilities under a re-elected Coalition Government, ensuring the future health and wellbeing of communities across Central Australia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of The Nationals Barnaby Joyce was in Alice Springs today alongside Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Senator for the Northern Territory Nigel Scullion, Minister for Northern Australia Matthew Canavan and CLP candidate for Lingiari Tina MacFarlane, to formally commit more than $2.36 million to St John Ambulance NT to help build a new, purpose-built first aid training and volunteer centre at Alice Springs.

“St John Ambulance has been part of the Alice Springs community for 50 years and we want them here for years to come,” Minister Joyce said.

“Currently, the service in Alice Springs is boxed in by having to spend money on hiring other venues to conduct training for its volunteers because its current premises are too small.

“The organisation does own a block of land in town, and with the help of this funding, will be able to build a new centre which will be able to accommodate all its operational and training needs.

“Helping provide suitable facilities for the St John crew to work from and train in will underpin the health, wellbeing and prosperity of the local community and strengthen the social fabric of Central Australia.”

Ms MacFarlane said securing a commitment to help build a new home for the Alice Springs’ St John Ambulance service had been one of her top priorities.

“It’s absolutely critical to locals and visitors alike that the St John Ambulance Service continues providing first aid and medical services across Central Australia,” Ms MacFarlane said.

“The construction of a new base of operations in Alice Springs will give the service the room it needs to train more volunteers and provide more health care across the region.

“It will also help secure the future of the various sporting and community events that St John Ambulance volunteers attend throughout the year – events which inject plenty of money into the local economy through visitor spending.”

Minister for Rural Health Fiona Nash said the Coalition was delivering local results on the ground in Lingiari.

“We know that when we train rural and remote health professionals locally, they’re much more likely to stay and work in the local area,” Minister Nash said.

“That’s why local training facilities like the St John Ambulance training facility in Alice Springs are so important – it keeps health professionals including ambulance staff in the region.

“I aim to help build the kinds of rural communities our children and grandchildren either want to stay in or come back to, and good rural and remote health facilities are a big part of that.”