Life-saving defibrillators awarded to organisations across Tasmania

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is delivering another 90 life-saving defibrillators for community groups and businesses to host on their premises.

Under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, the Tasmanian Government committed $500,000 to provide more life-saving defibrillators to communities through the Community Defibrillator Fund.

Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma, said when a person suffers a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival declines by almost 10 per cent with each passing minute.

“Having access to an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) can mean the difference between life and death,” Minister Petrusma said.

“We’re proud to deliver another 90 AEDs for our community, particularly in rural and regional areas, from Nabowla to Southport, and Rosebery to Binalong Bay.

“Crucially, every recipient has a publicly accessible site, with the list of successful applicants including community centres, sports clubs, shops and cafes.

“Since 2014, we’ve provided around 360 free life-saving defibrillators to Tasmanian communities.”

Another 90 AEDs will become available to community groups through the second round of the fund in the 2025-26 financial year to further enhance access to life-saving equipment in critical situations.

After a device is placed in the community, it can be located through the GoodSAM Responder phone app, which supports cardiac arrest responses by alerting nearby registered responders and providing the location of patients and the closest defibrillators.

St Vincent de Paul Society is one of the successful recipients of round one of the Community Defibrillator Fund.

St Vincent de Paul Society CEO, Heather Kent, said emergency relief is often delivered by a cohort of volunteers middle aged and older, providing assistance to community members who can have complex health needs.

“Coupled with the high volume of customers in our op shop, we see the potential of medical emergencies occurring in our Hobart Elizabeth St premises,” Ms Kent said.

“Having an AED readily available can be a vital asset to save lives if it is needed.”

For more information, visit the Department of Health website.