A brand-new fire station built in Murphy Street, East Bendigo sits completely unused more than four years after its completion, prompting outrage from local MPs and the community.
The station was built following recommendations stemming from the Black Saturday Bushfires Royal Commission, intended as a temporary home for firefighters while the ageing Hargreaves Street Fire Station was upgraded.
The modern four-bay facility was finished in June 2022 at a cost of around $2.4 million
Despite being fully built and ready, no crews have ever occupied the site and it remains empty to this day. Planning permission for the long-promised upgrade of the Hargreaves Street station still hasn’t been granted, and construction has not begun — leaving firefighters working from a crumbling, ill-equipped base in the heart of Bendigo.
Shadow ministers have labelled the situation a “scandalous waste of taxpayers’ money” and a slap in the face to firefighters and the community they serve.
In Parliament, state MPs have repeatedly asked why the Murphy Street station remains vacant — and when, or if, it will ever fulfil its purpose.
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