Community & places · Orange City Council
Five Orange community AEDs approved for replacement at $9,100 cost
Orange City Council will also examine relocation, improved security and emergency-code cabinets after repeated theft and vandalism.
Reporting from public council minutes. How this article was prepared
Five community automated external defibrillators in Orange have been approved for replacement at an estimated cost of $9,100, with a further $240 a year for tracking. Orange City Council resolved to include the additional cost in its quarterly budget review process.
The resolution does not identify the five replacement locations or give an installation date. It also does not approve automatic removal of AEDs or cabinets that have been repeatedly stolen or vandalised.
Instead, council resolved that alternative ways to maintain accessible AED coverage should be assessed in those cases, including relocation and improved security, before any permanent removal of the service. Staff must also investigate secure access options, including locked cabinets that can be opened with an emergency code, and report to councillors on their suitability, cost and implications for emergency access.
During the 6 October meeting, the Director Community, Recreation and Cultural Services said the units could be tracked, but police recovery options were limited unless a stolen unit was abandoned in a public space or another specific location. The director also said further research was needed on code-access cabinets, noting that Australian products appeared more suited to indoor settings where a code could be readily obtained.
The minutes record the director telling councillors that no AED had been used for a life-saving purpose at that time. The future assessment will help determine how council balances accessible emergency equipment with the risk of further theft or vandalism.
What deserves a closer look
The resolution records an estimated cost and directs that it be included in the quarterly budget review, but it does not specify when the replacements will be installed or where they will be placed.
Council replaced a proposed automatic-removal approach with a requirement to assess ways of retaining accessible coverage before permanent removal.
Questions for follow-up reporting
Which five AED locations are covered by the replacement decision?
When will the replacement units be installed?
What funding outcome will be recorded through the quarterly budget review?
When will the report on emergency-code cabinets and other security options return to councillors?
What happens next
Include the additional estimated cost in the quarterly budget review process.
Investigate secure access options for community AEDs, including emergency-code cabinets, and report to councillors on suitability, cost and emergency-access implications.
Assess relocation and improved security options where an AED or cabinet has been repeatedly stolen or vandalised before any decision to permanently remove the service.
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
Council approved replacing five AEDs at approximately $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;
RESOLVED - 26/561
Open original minutes ↗Council required alternative options, including relocation and improved security, to be assessed before permanent removal where an AED or cabinet had been repeatedly stolen or vandalised.
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.
RESOLVED - 26/561
Open original minutes ↗Staff must investigate locked cabinets accessible by an emergency code and report on 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.
RESOLVED - 26/561
Open original minutes ↗The Director Community, Recreation & Cultural Services said the units could be tracked but police recovery options were limited unless the units were abandoned in a public space or another specific location.
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.
Community AED replacements discussion
Open original minutes ↗The director said code-access cabinets available in Australia appeared more suited to indoor environments where a code could be readily accessed.
The Director Community, Recreation & Cultural Services advised that further research would need to be undertaken in order to fully answer, but she noted that the cabinets available in Australia that require a code appear to be more suitable for indoor environments where a code can be easily accessed.
Community AED replacements discussion
Open original minutes ↗The director told councillors that no AED units 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.
Community AED replacements discussion
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Reporting from the public minutes of Orange City Council’s ordinary meeting on 6 October 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Council resolution 26/561 approved replacement of five community AEDs at approximately $9,100, plus $240 a year for tracking.
- The additional cost is to be included in the quarterly budget review process.
- Repeatedly stolen or vandalised AEDs or cabinets must be assessed for relocation and improved security before permanent removal.
- Staff must investigate locked cabinets accessible by an emergency code and report on cost, suitability and emergency-access implications.
- The minutes record that no AED had been used for a life-saving purpose at that time.
Why it matters
- The resolution could restore five community AEDs while requiring council to examine how their locations and security arrangements can preserve public access after repeated theft or vandalism.