Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Ambulance services

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Health. Last Friday the coroner brought down their findings on Christina Lackmann, who died in 2021 waiting for an ambulance. The department did an internal investigation and made its recommendations, and on 21 May this year it was reported that all seven recommendations had been implemented. Minister, if these recommendations have been implemented, why is the system still failing and why has another Victorian tragically died waiting for an ambulance?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:09): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. As I have outlined many times in this place, our ambulance services here in Victoria and indeed right around the nation are facing unprecedented demand. The increase in demand has been in the order of 35 per cent since before COVID, and we also know that we are seeing a persistent and very high number of 000 call-outs. Indeed we have a lights-and-sirens response to around a thousand cases every single day. Knowing all of this and with this demand, that is why our government continues to invest into our ambulance services to ensure that we have alternative pathways available, including urgent care clinics and the –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, the minister is debating the question. People are dying waiting for ambulances. I would ask you to ask the minister to come back to the question.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Evelyn, I am sure, knows that a point of order is not an opportunity for debate.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: As I was saying, in recognising the challenge that our ambulance services face here in Victoria, which is similar to the challenges being faced by ambulance services right around Australia and indeed around the world, our government is implementing a range of reforms. I was very pleased that this year’s budget included an additional $84.2 million which is dedicated to regional and rural ambulance resourcing. We are also investing a further $58.4 million into our emergency departments to commission further short-stay units and ensure that we have got greater capacity to bring on additional beds in times of peak need.

In February of this year I announced the standards for safe and timely ambulance and emergency care, and these are about ensuring that across our busiest hospitals and our busiest emergency departments we have standards in place that will drive down the time it takes to transfer a patient from the ambulance to the emergency department and then through the hospital. We have a range of reforms that we are implementing, and can I say that we are doing this with our workforce. I know that the initiatives that we are implementing will work because they have been designed in partnership and by listening to our frontline healthcare workers, because we will always respect them.

Bridget Vallence: Deputy Speaker, I renew my point of order. The minister is debating the question. This government has been in power for 10 years. People are dying waiting for ambulances. I would ask you to ask her to come back to the question.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I ask that points of order be succinct. The minister was being relevant to the question asked in regard to talking about the health system and ambulance response times and implementations. The minister has concluded her answer.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): Given the continued failings in our health system, why won’t the minister commission an independent inquiry?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:13): Can I just say I take this issue very, very seriously, and I am not using it as a political football, like some in this house are. That is why our government is making the investments and working with our workforce and implementing reforms to save people’s lives.