Planning Ahead: Why the Pioneer Valley Needs Its Own Ambulance Station

As regional Queensland continues to grow, so too does the pressure on the services that keep our communities safe. One of the clearest examples of this is in the Pioneer Valley, where rapid population growth is beginning to outpace emergency service infrastructure.

The Pioneer Valley is no longer just a small rural community. Towns like Walkerston, Marian and surrounding areas are expanding quickly through new housing developments, attracting young families, retirees and workers looking for a great regional lifestyle close to Mackay. Today, more than 8,000 people call the Valley home, and that number continues to rise.

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With that growth comes responsibility. We must ensure infrastructure and emergency services keep pace with the needs of the community.

Queensland Ambulance Service reviews service delivery across the state regularly, considering factors such as incident demand, response times, road access, demographics, health infrastructure and future growth. These reviews feed into annual local needs assessments to identify future infrastructure and resource requirements.

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Recently, I tabled a community petition in the Queensland Parliament calling for a dedicated ambulance station in the Pioneer Valley. The petition, started by Marian resident Erin Sinnamon, has attracted more than 5,000 signatures, a strong sign that local families are concerned about emergency response times.

At present, ambulances responding to emergencies in the Valley are often dispatched from Paget, Beaconsfield or Finch Hatton when available. In some cases, it can take more than 25 minutes for an ambulance to reach Marian from Paget.

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In an emergency, minutes matter. Whether it is a cardiac arrest, serious crash, farm accident or medical episode, those delays can have devastating consequences.

This campaign is not about politics. It is about planning ahead and recognising that regional communities deserve the same access to timely emergency care as anywhere else in Queensland.

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The Pioneer Valley is growing, and the planning for emergency services must grow with it. Investing in a local ambulance station would not only improve response times, it would provide peace of mind for the thousands of families who proudly call the Valley home.

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