The Lismore Ambulance Centre on Keen Street, opposite the Lismore Workers Club, has not been used since the big flood in February 2022. It has been decommissioned.

For the last three years, local ambulance paramedics have been working from a temporary building at Southern Cross University that had a refit to meet operational requirements.

Yesterday, Minister for Health Ryan Park and Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin announced funding of $9.97 million for a brand new purpose-built building in a yet-to-be-named location.

"Now we're identifying and in the process of finalising those locations around the new Lismore facility, I want to thank the university for the work that they've done with New South Wales Ambulance to essentially allow us to have a station here and a centre here in such a quick and timely manner.

"We know that in both the 2022 floods and the '25 floods that this was impacted significantly. And we know that ambulance personnel, ambulance paramedics, the range of different equipment and services they provide were impacted. What we're going to do at both Mullumbimby and at the location of the new service centre for Lismore is to make sure that they are flood-proof as best we possibly can. And that's why $13.4 million will be allocated.

When asked what criteria the new land has to have for the new Lismore Ambulance Centre, Minister Park said, "It has to be accessible for paramedics. That means being able to get onto main routes and arterial roads as quickly as possible.

"It's got to be able to withstand significant weather events like what you have here in northern New South Wales. That's a challenge.

"It also has to have enough space for us to be able to grow the ambulance personnel. We know in this part of the world, over the last couple of years, in northern New South Wales, we've increased staffing by well over 30 additional paramedics. I think alone in Lismore, that's around 12. There'll be more coming as part of the rollout of our 500 additional paramedics for regional, rural and remote New South Wales.

"Our previous commitment that we made going into the last election, already, 250 of those have been rolled out across New South Wales, with the next 250 over the next 18 to 20 months or so, so there'll be more paramedics coming here.

"We need a station that's purpose-built. We need a station that allows our first class and front line paramedics to respond as quickly as possible, whilst at the same time, a facility that can stand up to very, very challenging weather conditions like what's experienced in northern New South Wales."

Since the Lismore paramedics have been using the temporary facility at SCU, is that an option for the new site?

"A range of different sites are in discussion with New South Wales Ambulance, and our legal teams are looking at a range of different sites. I'll allow that process, obviously, to continue to take its course. My priority will be, once we've determined that site, to make sure that we get it out of the ground as quickly as possible.

"We're confident that we can have this facility done by mid to back end of 2027. Knowing Janelle Saffin, she'll be on the phone every other week telling me why it hasn't been done, and she'll be out there in her own boots putting it together. But apart from that, I'll work as quickly as I can to get it going as fast as I can."

As for the old site on Keen Street, Mr Park said discussions have begun regarding its future, but wouldn't be drawn on whether it will be reused, sold or demolished.

The Mullumbimby Ambulance Station also suffered structural damage during the 2022 floods. It will be rebuilt at its existing site at a cost of $3.4 million.

The funding for Lismore and Mullumbimby is part of the Infrastructure Betterment Fund, a joint initiative by the Albanese and Minns Governments to help communities become more resilient by investing in building better infrastructure.