Thursday, 4 August 2022

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority

Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:00): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, in the government’s response to the Ashton review into 000, rather than addressing each individual recommendation they were grouped together and an explanation given for that group rather than each individual recommendation. For example, recommendation 8 is about improved industrial relations processes, but the response for the recommendations 5 to 10 group does not address at all how you would achieve recommendation 8. Minister, why wasn’t each recommendation addressed individually?

Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:01): Ms Crozier, isn’t the important matter here that the government has accepted the Ashton review? We have thanked him for his work. We did not wait for that review to make significant investment in ESTA to respond to unprecedented demand caused by the pandemic. We have been supporting that workforce, that amazing workforce, who day in, day out go over and beyond to ensure that Victorians are safe and connected to emergency services that they need. In relation to Mr Ashton’s report, we have agreed to progress all of the recommendations in his report in conjunction with ESTA and the relevant stakeholders, including industrial parties, and I think how that response has been structured indicates that we have got work to do within the department moving parts of ESTA closer to government, sharing services and the like. In terms of how we have responded, I think the positive message is that we have accepted the report and we are not wasting any time in making sure that ESTA have everything they need to provide a service Victorians can rely on.

Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:02): Minister, sadly too many Victorians have died as a result of the ESTA failures. Minister, isn’t it a fact that your government does not agree with all the recommendations, especially about improved industrial relations processes, and the response document is just more spin from your government at a time that families of those who have died waiting on hold deserve real solutions to these ongoing issues that are plaguing the system?

Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:02): Ms Crozier, I do not accept that at all. We have accepted in principle all 20 recommendations, but there was not a playbook specifically for how to implement all of those recommendations. That has been left to government to do, and we are advancing those. We did not wait for this report to respond to unprecedented demand, because we knew people were experiencing unacceptable delays. I have been at pains to speak to families, apologise to families and give my commitment that I am motivated each and every day to support ESTA to do the very best they can with unprecedented financial support—$333 million to recruit more call takers—and I can report, as I continue to report, that the call takers are hitting the floor each and every week. We had to open a new floor to accommodate all of our call takers. We are experiencing improvements in call taking every week, and I am very proud of their efforts.

Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:04): I move:

That the minister’s response be taken into account on the next day of sitting.

Motion agreed to.