Community & places · Orange City Council
Five community AEDs approved for replacement after repeat theft and vandalism
Orange City Council approved an estimated $9,100 replacement program, while requiring relocation, security and emergency-code access options to be investigated before repeatedly targeted devices are permanently removed.
Reporting from public council minutes. How this article was prepared
Orange City Council has approved replacing five community automated external defibrillators at an estimated cost of $9,100, plus $240 a year for tracking. The additional cost will be included in the quarterly budget review process, according to the resolution passed at the council’s 6 October meeting.
The adopted motion replaced an original proposal to remove AEDs or cabinets that had been stolen or damaged twice. It requires council to assess ways to maintain accessible coverage where an AED or cabinet has been repeatedly stolen or vandalised, including relocation and improved security, before permanently removing the service.
Council will also investigate locked cabinets that can be accessed using an emergency code and report to councillors on their suitability, cost and implications for emergency access. A council director told the meeting that code-access cabinets available in Australia appeared better suited to indoor settings where the code could be accessed easily.
The minutes record that the AEDs can be tracked, but police recovery options are limited unless a stolen unit is abandoned in a public space or another specific location. Staff also said an alarm activates when an AED casing is opened, although they would need to check whether the units indicate that tracking is available.
Councillor Greg Power asked how many AEDs had been used to save someone’s life. The recorded response was that no unit had been used for a life-saving purpose at that time. The minutes do not identify the five replacement locations or set a date for installation or the further security report.
What deserves a closer look
The council approved replacement equipment but did not settle where the five AEDs will be placed or how repeated losses will be prevented. Those questions are left to further assessment and reporting.
The resolution does not establish that the estimated replacement cost has been spent or that installation has occurred.
Questions for follow-up reporting
Where will the five replacement AEDs be placed, and when will they be available to the public?
How many AEDs or cabinets have been repeatedly stolen or vandalised, and which relocation or security options will be assessed at each affected location?
When will council report on emergency-code cabinets, including their cost and effect on emergency access?
What tracking and usage information will council collect after the replacements are installed?
What happens next
Replace five community AEDs and include the estimated additional cost in the quarterly budget review process.
Assess alternative ways to maintain accessible AED coverage, including relocation and improved security, where an AED or cabinet has been repeatedly stolen or vandalised, before any permanent removal decision.
Investigate secure community AED access, including locked cabinets accessible by an emergency code, and report to councillors on suitability, cost and implications for emergency access.
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
Council approved replacing five community AEDs at an estimated $9,100 plus $240 a year for tracking, with the additional cost included in the quarterly budget review process.
THE MOTION ON BEING PUT WAS CARRIED. RESOLVED - 26/561 Cr M Ruddy/Cr M McDonell That Council resolves : 1 To approve replacement of five AEDs back into the community at a cost of approximately $9,100 plus $240 per year for tracking 2 That the additional cost be included in the quarterly budget review process;
Resolution 26/561
Open original minutes ↗The adopted resolution requires alternative coverage options, including relocation and improved security, to be assessed before permanent removal after repeated theft or vandalism.
and 3 That where an AED or cabinet has been subject to repeated theft or vandalism, Council assess alternative options to maintain accessible AED coverage in the area, including relocation and improved security measures, before any decision is made to permanently remove the service.
Resolution 26/561
Open original minutes ↗Council directed an investigation into locked cabinets accessible by an emergency code, including their suitability, cost and implications for emergency access.
4 To investigate secure access options for community AEDs, including locked cabinets capable of being accessed by an emergency code, and report back to Councillors on their suitability, cost and any implications for emergency access.
Resolution 26/561, item 4
Open original minutes ↗A council director said tracked AEDs may be difficult for police to recover unless they are abandoned in a public space or another specific location, and said the casing has an alarm.
The Director Community, Recreation & Cultural Services advised that while the units can be tracked, police are limited in what they can do to recover them, unless they were abandoned in a public space or a specific location (i.e.
Staff response following resolution 26/561
Open original minutes ↗The minutes record that no AED had been used for a life-saving purpose at that time.
Cr Power asked how many AED units have been used to save someone's life. The Director Community, Recreation & Cultural Services advised that no units have been used for a life-saving purpose at this time.
Question from Cr Power following resolution 26/561
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Reporting from the public minutes of Orange City Council's ordinary meeting held on 6 October 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Council resolution 26/561 approved replacing five community AEDs at an estimated $9,100, with $240 a year for tracking.
- The replacement cost is to be included in the quarterly budget review process; the minutes do not record that the money has already been spent.
- Repeatedly stolen or vandalised AEDs or cabinets must be assessed for relocation and improved security before permanent removal.
- Council will investigate emergency-code access cabinets and report on suitability, cost and emergency-access implications.
- Staff said tracking is possible but police recovery options may be limited, and recorded that no unit had yet been used for a life-saving purpose.
Why it matters
- The resolution approves replacement equipment while leaving the practical response to repeated theft and vandalism unresolved. Relocation, improved security and emergency-code access will be assessed before council considers permanently removing an affected service.