Premier Roger Cook shuts down idea of Geraldton-based rescue helicopter despite increased traffic to Abrolhos

Premier Roger Cook has poured cold water on calls for a rescue helicopter to be based in Geraldton, saying it is not essential for maintaining safety. Nationals WA candidate for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr has made an election commitment for a $45 million rescue chopper service in Geraldton if her party gets into government at the March 2025 election. On Friday, Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti announced $8.1 million to bolster tourism at the Abrolhos Islands, including a publicly accessible commercial jetty, 10 new moorings, and increased facilities for tourism. Ms Saffioti said there would be increased safety considerations because of the inevitable higher visitation numbers — but did not divulge in what form this would come. On Tuesday morning during his visit to Geraldton, Mr Cook shut down speculation a Mid West-based rescue helicopter would be part of the safety measures put in place. “With any sort of outdoor tourism and outdoor adventure comes risk,” the Premier said. “And as a result of that, we need to make sure that we have the medical services in place to be able to get people to the care they need in the event that they do have a mishap. “Under our aeromedical review that we undertook just a couple of years ago, it didn’t recommend a helicopter service as part of the overall features for the Mid West and Geraldton areas.” The Premier said he would “continue to look at that with the minister for health and the minister for emergency services about how we can deploy extra assets into the area . . . just to ensure that we have that extra level of safety for the community”. In June 2023, a medical emergency at the Abrolhos Islands was considered a strong piece of evidence for a group lobbying for the rescue helicopter. Multiple medical evacuations from cruise ships off the Geraldton coast have also added weight to the debate. The group, led by marine rescue volunteer Ian Dempsey, accrued more than 1000 signatures for a petition in support of the helicopter.