Media Release - 90 new defibrillators available for rural communities

Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Health
10 July 2022

90 new defibrillators available for rural communities

The Tasmanian Liberal Government recognises the importance of investing in life-saving equipment which is why we’re making sure that more regional and rural communities have access to Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs).

We know that when a person suffers a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival declines between 7-10 per cent with each passing minute.

During a cardiac arrest, early access to a defibrillator is crucial, as it can help to save a person’s life.
The next round of the Ambulance Tasmania Community Defibrillator Fund is now open, which will see 90 Automatic External Defibrillators distributed to rural and remote communities around the State.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government has committed $500,000 to this initiative to provide a total of 180 of these life-saving AEDs, with 90 already distributed across Tasmania including New Norfolk, Smithton, Circular Head, Penguin, Zeehan and Ulverstone.

This current fund follows the success of our earlier program which provided $540,000 to enable Ambulance Tasmania to distribute 180 defibrillators around the State between 2018 and 2020.

There are already around 1,000 AEDs located throughout Tasmania, and these have been used in several successful resuscitations of people in cardiac arrest, including one recently at Stanley in the North West.

Defibrillators are easy to use without any training and are audio-equipped to guide the user through the procedure.

After a device is placed in the community, an Ambulance Tasmania AED locator smart phone app shows registered community-held AED locations across Tasmania.

The app uses the phone’s location to find the closest AED and provides directions to the caller to access the device.

I encourage individuals, community groups, or sporting organisations to apply before applications close in four weeks, particularly those who are based in rural and regional areas of Tasmania to ensure this life-saving equipment is available when and where it is needed.

To join the Early Access to Defibrillation Program, you can register your AED online or by calling 1300 979 057 or emailing aed@ambulance.tas.gov.au.