Community
12 August, 2026
MP hears SES concerns
MEMBER for Polwarth Richard Riordan visited the Cobden State Emergency Service (SES) unit during a joint Cobden and Camperdown unit training night to learn more about the conditions volunteers are currently working in.
Last Tuesday, Mr Riordan stopped by the Cobden SES unit on Silvester Street to hear concerns from volunteers about the state of their facility.
The hall currently being utilised by the Cobden SES is over 150 years old and lacks modern toilet and shower facilities.
It is also tight for space, with many important SES vehicles and equipment scattered around the hall wherever they can fit, which is inconvenient during times of emergency.
Cobden and Camperdown SES units are often called out together, and the lack of a modern facility for the Cobden SES unit impacts the entire Corangamite region and beyond.
Deputy controller Sue Sartori said the unit had been promised an updated unit, but have been told by the Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) they need to find appropriate land in Cobden for it to be built on.
“They’ve been telling us there’s a new unit coming and it hasn’t happened,” she said.
“There are funds there and they’re just not willing to make that decision as to where.
“We’re looking for half an acre, big enough for a building, for outdoor training space and a carpark off-road – at the moment we’re having to park on the street, so if there’s something on at the hall up the road, we’ve got buckley’s of getting parking, and we can’t park right in front of the building.
“There’s a lot of disadvantages to being here that we’ve gotten used to making the most of.
“All the units around us are modern and we’ve missed out – we’re last on the list even though we exceed them in jobs.”
Mr Riordan toured the old unit and said he was surprised at the state it was in, which he didn’t think was fair for volunteers.
“What the Cobden SES are keen to highlight is there is a need to get the investment in infrastructure here in Cobden,” he said.
“These guys are doing a great job in an over 100-year-old hall and it is, in fact, just a hall.
“The fact that for these amazing volunteers, we’re not even providing them with a proper toilet and shower facilities – it’s pretty ordinary.
“We want these people to be there to rescue us at times of our greatest need and vulnerability and we’ve got a situation where we have a cold miserable night and they have to train in pretty primitive conditions.
“The government has certainly been taxing everybody enough and they were talking very strongly about all these extra taxes going to support the SES but we’ve got a second-hand truck and a 150-year-old hall.”
Mr Riordan said he would follow up with VICSES and see where the new Cobden unit was sitting in the rung of VICSES priorities.
“With only 100 days to go to the election there’s not much we can get organised now,” he said.
“I think there’s a bit of work that the group need to be supported with in terms of finding a site, having a conversation with the community as to where the best spot to put it is, and then see about getting the funds for it.
“This facility is highly prone to fire and destruction and there’s a lot of equipment and stuff here that needs to be stored more safely.
“These guys should be treated with a bit more respect with regards to the services they’re giving – they’re all volunteers, so these are the people we’re wanting to come and help us when we need them, and this is what we’re doing for them.
“I would say this is a pretty high priority that this gets sorted.”
A VICSES spokesperson said the organisation was working with the Cobden unit to support them in the development of a new unit.
“The VICSES Cobden Unit is a key priority for VICSES and is in need of a new facility, which would require budget allocated funding,” the spokesperson said.
“In the interim, VICSES is working directly with the unit to update and refresh the unit’s current facility while planning and potential funding avenues for a new unit are explored.
“VICSES continues to advocate for the needs of its volunteers with government to ensure units receive the support they need.
“VICSES has not intimated the unit be responsible for finding suitable land for the new facility and is currently working collaboratively with local stakeholders to identify opportunities in the local area.”
Read More: Cobden, Camperdown