I was at Tumut Airport yesterday, alongside Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott, RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers, RFS officials and personnel and Snowy Valley Council representatives, for an extremely important announcement.

A new $8 million Fire Control Centre is to be built in Tumut, with a multi-purpose firefighting helicopter to be based in Tumut for the bushfire season.

This control centre, to be developed in partnership with Snowy Valleys Council, will provide RFS and emergency services the facilities they need to plan for and conduct large-scale emergency response operations.

It is a great choice I believe to base this multi-purpose helicopter at Tumut Airport, to provide local residents, farmers, and businesses additional reassurance during bushfire season, given the ability for rapid deployment regionally.