The Greens welcome Labor’s announcement they will make a serious investment in the ambulance services Tasmania needs if they form government after the election.
Ambulance services in Tasmania are in crisis. Thousands of patients every year are calling triple zero for an emergency, only to have to wait for an extended and unsafe period for an ambulance arrive. We know one in every ten paramedic shifts is going unfilled, and ambulance ramping is out of control.
In the face of this crisis, early last year an expert health consultant provided the Rockliff government with a roadmap to a safer and more reliable ambulance service. In response the Liberals have done nothing.
On the first day of this election campaign the Greens were proud to stand with paramedics and the Health and Community Services Union as we launched our plan to make sure Tasmanians can get an ambulance when they need one. Our plan delivered on the recommendations made by experts and by HACSU, and included hiring 187 paramedics and 50 support staff by 2030, expanding the ambulance fleet, building 6 new ambulance stations, and upgrading 13 more.
It’s really positive to see Labor now announce a plan for serious investment in ambulance services. This plan has some gaps – in particular there’s a crucial need to invest in staff in the dispatch centre, triage, and other support roles – but what’s announced would make a massive difference to the community and to ambulance staff.
With Labor and the Greens both now supporting an evidence-based and positive plan for ambulance services, the pressure is on the Liberals to finally stand up and commit to doing the same.
If the Liberals are happy to back a billion dollar stadium, why won’t they give our ambulance service the support it needs?
