MAYOR RESPONDS TO AIRPORT SHELTER CONCERNS
Good evening Peter,
Please find below our response to your email dated 12 July 2026.
For clarity, this response has been provided on behalf of all Greater Shepparton City Councillors and represents the collective position of Council in relation to the matters raised.
The Shepparton Aerodrome is an important strategic asset in Greater Shepparton, one which we recognise plays a very important role in our community, in particular for emergency service operations.
We want to begin by outlining Council’s commitment to maintaining a safe, compliant and functional aerodrome for all users. This is a priority of Greater Shepparton City Council.
We appreciate your interest in the future of the Shepparton Aerodrome and your ongoing emails, social media posts and in-person conversations regarding this matter. Council takes all proposals raised by community members and user groups seriously. We are not dismissing the importance of your proposal; however, we think it is important that you understand the steps required for something of this nature to be considered.
At present, the Shepparton Aerodrome provides safe access for emergency service operations, including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Patient transfers occur through established operational procedures, where Ambulance Victoria vehicles gain airside access by driving as close as possible to the parked aircraft to safely transfer patients and minimise the distance required to travel during transfer.
It is important to understand that this approach is consistent with how patient transfers occur across many regional aerodromes throughout Victoria and Australia. In many circumstances, whether at an aerodrome, hospital helipad, roadside emergency landing site or airport, there will always be some exposure to natural weather conditions during a patient transfer.
While we understand the intent behind a permanent patient transfer shelter, a fixed shelter does not provide complete weather protection during the transfer process. Patients, paramedics and flight crews would still need to move between the shelter and the parked aircraft. As aircraft parking positions can vary depending on the type of aircraft, operational requirements and airside activities, there would still be a period where patients and staff are exposed to the natural elements. We do not think what you have proposed would resolve this issue. Unless a patient is being transferred directly into an enclosed hangar facility, there is generally an element of movement between vehicle and aircraft.
For this reason, we are seeking clarification from you regarding statements that have been made publicly suggesting the current arrangements are not “best practice”. Council has received no formal correspondence from Ambulance Victoria, the Royal Flying Doctor Service or any other emergency service provider advising that current arrangements at the Shepparton Aerodrome fail to meet operational requirements, safety standards or accepted practices.
If there is correspondence available that suggests otherwise, Council would welcome the opportunity to review that information. Likewise, if a proposed shelter solution is being advocated as representing best-practice patient transfer infrastructure, it would be helpful to understand what specific standards or guidelines support that claim.
You have also raised the issue of funding. It is important to understand that Council cannot simply apply for grant funding based on an idea alone. Before funding applications can be made, Council must first identify and define a project, undertake detailed planning and design work, establish scope and costings, determine ongoing maintenance implications and, where required, commit to a co-contribution. Those commitments must then be considered through Council’s capital planning processes, including within Council’s 10-Year Capital Works Plan.
While preliminary planning work regarding the possibility of a patient transfer shelter was undertaken in 2020, including consultation with Ambulance Victoria, further investigation and assessment is required before any future project can be considered. We note that in 2020, Ambulance Victoria did not identify this project as a critical need for their operations at the airport, and since this time Council has not received any correspondence to suggest this has changed.
As a result, Council has not applied for this round of the Federal Government’s Regional Airports Program. The program requires a 50 per cent contribution towards any successful project and the submission of a shovel-ready project. Council does not currently have a dedicated budget allocation for major aerodrome upgrades and does not have detailed designs for the proposed shelter.
There are currently no plans to relocate the airport, and operations continue on a business-as-usual basis. Any future infrastructure improvements, renewal projects or planning initiatives will be considered through Council’s normal planning, budget and governance processes. Community members, aerodrome users and stakeholder groups will continue to be consulted and kept informed of any future proposals or developments.
We look forward to continuing to engage with the Aerodrome User Group and other stakeholders to better understand the opportunities and challenges facing the Shepparton Aerodrome.
As stated at the beginning, our focus remains the same: continuing to maintain a safe, compliant and functional aerodrome for all users, particularly for emergency service operations.
Thank you,
Councillor Shane Sali
Mayor, Greater Shepparton City Council
