Thursday, 13 November 2025

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:00): (1968) My question is for the Minister for Health. Barwon Health’s annual report for 2024–25 reveals Geelong hospital has failed to meet its ambulance transfer target for the eighth consecutive year, achieving only 59 per cent of transfers within 40 minutes against a 90 per cent target. That is quite a miss. Most alarmingly, the report shows Barwon Health could not even meet a modest 4 per cent improvement target. They declined to disclose the actual result, stating only that it was not achieved. Page 65 shows admitted patients spent an average of 442 minutes in emergency – that is 7 hours and 22 minutes; that is the average. Non-admitted patients spent 257 minutes – 4 hours and 17 minutes. Minister, is this not the clearest evidence of a health system in crisis? Can you justify eight consecutive years of failure – (Time expired)