Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Emergency communication services

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:28): (441) My question is for the Minister for Emergency Services. Minister, on 22 February, during extreme fire danger conditions, why did Triple Zero Victoria have only nine call takers available to answer calls for fire emergency?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:28): I thank Mr Mulholland for his question. When there are fire-risk days or indeed areas where TZV recognise that surge capacity will be required, such as long weekends and the like, they have management processes that bring more people on board for those particular days. Your suggestion that there would be nine call takers on a high-risk day I would very much doubt is accurate.

I tend to get a lot of questions and facts that are false that come to me from people who think they have got information about how TZV operates, and time and time again we are demonstrating that those are just unfounded. I find it concerning, because it is potentially creating concerns in the community that would be creating fear. It is misinformation.

If you want to provide me with some greater detail offline, I can double-check with TZV in relation to that particular claim that you have made. But for you to just stand up and say something does not mean it is true. I have not received any concerns about –

Members interjecting.

Jaclyn SYMES: I have been pretty frank in this place about the challenges of TZV. I have not shied away from the problem, that we had challenges, but this organisation has had a massive transformation and has new leadership. It is an organisation that is working really, really well. They are meeting all of their benchmarks in terms of call taking. They respond to peak demand, like all of our emergency services do. I met Triple Zero call takers in the incident control centres in Ballarat last week. They come out of the workplace to ensure that they are having local solutions so that they can help emergency services on the ground. This is an organisation that, yes, had challenges – we have broadcast that – but to come in and undermine them continually with false information is really disrespectful to an organisation that I think are doing an awesome job, and the statistics support that, as does community experience. I can only confirm for you, Mr Mulholland, that there are robust procedures in place to plan to ensure we have the appropriate amount of staff, whether they are call takers, dispatchers, support workers or team leaders, for periods of peak, and that includes all of the issues that we have had in the last three weeks.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:31): Following the litany of failures at the height of the 000 crisis that was linked to the deaths of 33 Victorians, as discussed in your previous answer, you said you were going to fix the system. How can the Victorian community have confidence in Triple Zero when callers are left on hold during a day of extreme fire danger?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:31): Mr Mulholland, again you are making statements that you do not have any basis to make. On days of high fire danger there are processes in place to ensure that there are adequate surge staff to help with those days. There have not been concerns in relation to people waiting on these types of days, and the information you have is frankly false. I am more than happy to have a conversation with you to perhaps fact-check your questions before you put them to me, because I think that they have a really harmful impact, not only potentially on concerns of the public that are unfounded, but it is really disrespectful to those staff who turn up day in, day out and work really hard. They are meeting all of their benchmarks, as I have said to you. I am confident in this organisation, and the public can be too.