Eastern Victoria Region
Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (13:08): (1014) My question is for the Minister for Ambulance Services. Minister, this year ambulance response times have been declining. Response times for code 1 patients have been slower in the Cardinia Shire Council, Casey, Bass Coast and Mornington Peninsula shire councils. They have been worse than the state average. In Cardinia waiting times have increased by more than 12 per cent in just a year, and less than half of the responses are within the 15-minute target. Paramedics in my area are under extreme pressure. They have said that ramping and inefficiencies in the ambulance dispatch system mean that those in need of immediate care are put at an extreme risk. Minister, what steps will you take to address the crisis in ambulance waiting times for those in the Eastern Victoria Region?