Medical retrieval helicopters remain unable to use the helipads at regional hospitals in Murray Bridge and Victor Harbor, South Australia, leaving crews to land at nearby ovals and rely on local ambulances for transport to and from the hospitals, ABC News Australia reported.
Health Minister Blair Boyer said the Murray Bridge helipad would reopen “soon” and that the issues there were close to being resolved. He said the Victor Harbor situation was “complex” and would require longer-term planning, without giving a date for either helipad’s return to service.
The two sites are the last of 13 regional helipads that were temporarily closed in 2024 because they did not meet updated Civil Aviation Safety Authority guidelines. They cannot be used for medical retrievals until Babcock, which operates the state’s MedSTAR helicopter service, certifies them as safe.
At Murray Bridge, outstanding issues include the required downwash exclusion zone around the landing site and the proximity of homes. Independent member for Finniss Lou Nicholson said she understood some residents might live within the affected area and that the government was seeking a solution before the lease on the Victor Harbor childcare centre expires in 2030.
The Victor Harbor helipad is next to the community-run Victor Harbor Childcare and Education Centre, which has a peppercorn lease with SA Health. Nicholson said that if the centre needed to move, work should begin now rather than waiting for the lease to expire.
One Nation member for Hammond Robert Roylance has called for clearer information about when the Murray Bridge helipad will become operational, saying he understood a 66-metre area was required around the landing site and that several homes were within it. Boyer said $23.4 million had been invested in upgrading regional helipads and that alternative nearby landing sites meant medical retrieval services remained available while safety work continued.