Victoria’s paramedics rallied outside the Victorian health minister's office on Friday, July 26, driven by mounting frustrations over what they describe as poor working conditions and leadership issues plaguing Ambulance Victoria.
The protest came in the wake of a no-confidence vote presented to ambulance union members.
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Annabelle Cleeland recently met with local paramedics to gain insight into how the ambulance system was affecting their day-to-day operations.
“I heard that many of our dedicated paramedics were working 16-hour shifts, rosters were understaffed, culture issues prevented them from speaking out against these difficult conditions, and that patient transport had taken over from emergency response as a major part of their role,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Ramping issues at our regional hospitals have been widely publicised, too, with entire fleets of ambulances stuck in hospital car parks for hours as our emergency rooms struggle to handle increased demand.
“Paramedics do an incredible job ensuring our loved ones are safe, but they have understandably reached their breaking point due to a lack of support from this government.”
Recent figures from Ambulance Victoria reveal concerning delays in responding to the most critical emergencies.
Ambulance Victoria’s official target is to respond to 85 per cent of code one emergencies — the most critical and life-threatening cases — within 15 minutes.
The reality falls far short of this target.
In Benalla, over a third of critical emergencies wait longer than 15 minutes.
In Mitchell Shire, it’s nearly half, and in Strathbogie Shire, an alarming two-thirds of life-threatening cases face waits of longer than the target time.
“We need to ensure our paramedics are given the support they need to keep our community safe in times of crisis,” Ms Cleeland said.
“People’s lives are at risk, particularly in regional communities that have seen resources slashed for local ambulance services.
“Labor cannot manage our ambulance system and our paramedics and those in need of medical attention are the ones paying the price.”
Speaking last week, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan expressed concern over the evident tensions between management and paramedics, describing the current situation as untenable.
“We do need to see these matters resolved, these matters between management and the workforce can’t continue in this way,” she said.
“I know that the ministry are seeking some advice from her (Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas’) department, and I also note too in terms of what we need Ambulance Victoria focused on.
“We also need them to get focused on resolving the enterprise bargaining agreement that has been a protracted one and that does need to be addressed.
“She (Ms Thomas) is also meeting with the chair of Ambulance Victoria next week, and we do need to see better harmonious relationships between the workforce and management in Ambulance Victoria because you can see the importance of the work that paramedics do serving our community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, going out saving lives supporting the health and wellbeing of our community.
“It’s important that Ambulance Victoria is focused on the hard work of paramedics, not on these ongoing relationship challenges that are being exposed over the course of the last few days.”