The Googong community is thriving. Families are moving in every week. New homes, schools, childcare centres and businesses continue to transform Googong into one of the fastest-growing townships in the region.

 

We already have the infrastructure that supports modern suburban life — with even more on the way in the coming years — including supermarkets, cafés, fast food outlets, sporting facilities and expanding retail precincts.

 

But despite this rapid growth, one critical piece of infrastructure is still missing: local emergency services.

Right now, if someone in Googong suffers a heart attack, if a child stops breathing, or if a house catches fire in the middle of the night, residents could wait between 17 and 20 minutes for emergency services to arrive.

That response time could mean the difference between life and death.

 

The only way to reduce those response times is to locate emergency services within the Googong township itself.

 

Every so often we hear stories that stop us in our tracks. A young child needing urgent medical attention at a childcare centre. A loved one suffering a serious fall at home. A worker critically injured on a building site. A devastating house fire claiming innocent lives.

 

These tragedies resonate deeply because they force us to ask an uncomfortable question:

 

“What if that happened here?”

What if it was your child?
Your partner?
Your parent?
Your home?

 

What happens when you dial 000 from Googong today?

 

The reality is confronting. Ambulance crews must travel from Queanbeyan, where only two ambulances service the wider Queanbeyan region. Fire response is even more complicated. While many residents assume Fire and Rescue NSW responds directly to Googong, the township is primarily covered by the NSW Rural Fire Service.

 

That means volunteers often need to leave their homes or workplaces, travel to stations outside Googong to collect fire trucks, and then return to respond to emergencies in the township. Some of the volunteers protecting Googong already live in Googong itself — meaning they must leave the town before they can come back to help it.

 

For a growing urban community with thousands of residents and major developments still underway, these emergency service arrangements are no longer good enough.

 

Statistics and reporting data already show concerning ambulance response times across the region, with emergency responses often exceeding accepted benchmarks depending on traffic conditions and resource availability. In critical incidents such as cardiac arrests, serious accidents and house fires, every second matters. Fires can become unsurvivable within minutes, and survival chances for cardiac arrest victims decline rapidly with every minute without treatment.

 

Yet despite these risks, Googong still has no dedicated ambulance station and no permanent local fire station.

 

What makes this even more frustrating is that land has already been allocated within Googong for emergency services infrastructure. The need has been recognised. The population is already here. The land exists. Yet there are still no publicly announced timelines or firm commitments to deliver the emergency services our community urgently requires.

 

Meanwhile, residents continue paying through taxes, council rates and emergency service levies that help fund emergency response systems across New South Wales. Families are contributing financially to services that remain located outside the township they are meant to protect.

 

This is not about politics.
This is about community safety.
This is about ensuring help arrives in time when families need it most.

 

We believe the risk to the Googong community is unacceptable. With thousands of residents already living here — and several thousand more expected in coming years — proactive action must be taken now, before a preventable tragedy occurs.

 

We are calling on the New South Wales Government, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and emergency service agencies to urgently prioritise:

• A permanent ambulance station in Googong 
• A dedicated local RFS brigade and station 
• Strategic planning and investment that matches Googong’s rapid population growth
• Clear public timelines and accountability for delivering these services 

We also recognise the important role volunteers play in protecting communities across regional New South Wales. A dedicated Googong RFS brigade would strengthen local emergency response capabilities, support neighbouring brigades and provide local volunteers with the resources needed to protect their own community. In the future, this capability could be further supported with additional Fire and Rescue NSW resources and potentially a permanent station in or near Googong.

 

Other communities have shown what can be achieved when residents stand together. Communities like Bungendore successfully advocated for improved emergency services through strong public support and community action. Googong can do the same.

 

But we need your help.

 

This petition is about protecting our children, our families, our homes and our future. It is about demanding the level of emergency service coverage that a modern and growing community deserves.

 

We cannot afford to wait for a tragedy before action is taken.

 

Please stand with us. Sign the petition. Share this message. Speak up for Googong.

 

Together, we can ensure our community receives the emergency services infrastructure it urgently needs — because one day, our lives or the lives of those we love may depend on it.