Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority
Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:07): My question is again to the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, in a letter to you dated 8 October last year the federal communications minister, Mr Fletcher, requested your urgent advice on what the Victorian government was doing to alleviate issues that he highlighted in 000 calls, and he gave an example of 6 October when two calls were held for over 30 minutes, 20 calls were held for between 20 and 30 minutes, 37 calls were held for between 15 and 20 minutes and 53 calls were held for between 10 and 15 minutes. Minister, you responded three weeks later to that urgent request. Mr Fletcher further wrote to you on 17 December, saying that:
ESTA advised the Department of Communications on 7 December 2021 that 43 additional call-taking, dispatch and mental health support roles will be filled by the end of December 2021.
We know that did not occur, so I ask: of the 43 additional staff, how many are call takers or dispatch, and how many of the 43 have a role with mental health support?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:08): I thank Ms Crozier for her question. I would just like to say that I have had engagements with Mr Fletcher. It is fair to say that I read his correspondence in the Australian before I get it, so I do find that slightly unprofessional. Nonetheless, the information that gets provided back to Mr Fletcher is through a number of means, whether it is directly from me, through public comment or indeed through our agencies. Regarding the advice I have in relation to the 43, I think I have already provided that information previously to you. We have got 13 call takers and 19 dispatch out of the 43, and then there is some mental health support as well. So 32 of them are ambulance call taking and dispatch.
Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:09): Minister, I note that you did not mention the mental health support in that answer. Noting ESTA calls are required to be answered in 5 seconds, can you guarantee that with the new recruitment no Victorian will be on hold to 000 for over 5 minutes?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:10): Ms Crozier, it is an incorrect statement that you make that calls are required or mandated to be answered within 5 seconds. It is a suggested benchmark by the inspector-general for emergency management that 90 per cent of calls be answered within 5 seconds for ambulance. It is 80 per cent in 5 seconds for police. These are benchmarks that the agency strives to achieve. What I can say is that the more call takers we have, the more ability there is to answer the unprecedented increase in calls. Before the pandemic the benchmark was the same—90 per cent of calls within 5 seconds—and now we are seeing about 1000 calls more a day than when that benchmark was set. It is still something that the hardworking call takers are striving to achieve.
Mr Davis: On a point of order, President, the actual substance of that question was very clear: could the minister guarantee that calls will not be on hold for more than 5 minutes?
The PRESIDENT: The minister answered and finished her answer.