Tuesday, 16 August 2022

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (11:38): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, isn’t it a fact that there have been a series of deaths linked to ESTA delays and failures? So I ask: has the inspector-general launched an investigation into each individual death, and if not, why not?

 Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (11:38): I thank Ms Crozier for her question. Ms Crozier, as I have said on a number of occasions in this chamber, it is not for politicians and it is not for this chamber to attribute causes of death and causes of injury in relation to matters that involve any of our emergency services. The inspector-general for emergency management has a role; the coroner has a role. The IGEM has conducted an inquiry into the call-taking response and ESTA’s performance in relation to issues created by the pandemic and of course has gone to a number of individual cases and spoken to people impacted by call delays and spoken to a number of stakeholders, including ESTA staff members and emergency services, and that report will be released in full in the coming weeks.

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (11:39): Thank you for that response, Minister. You just said the inspector-general is undertaking an inquiry into call-taking response, and reports—

Ms Symes: He has completed it.

Ms CROZIER: Yes. There are reports today that more than 1000 Victorians could have been harmed by 000 delays. Will all of these cases be subject to investigation by the inspector-general because they have caused significant harm to Victorians, and if not, why not?

 Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (11:40): Ms Crozier, the inspector-general for emergency management has reports from ESTA in relation to any issue that is in his remit, and all of those go through appropriate processes. It is his role to oversee ESTA, and reports are made to him. In relation to the numbers that you have presented, I am not going to be in a position where I am commenting on unverified reports of a report that has not yet been publicly released. It will be publicly released. It considers a number of cases, a number of issues—whether they are systemic issues, individual cases—and, as I have said, that report will be released in full in a couple of weeks.