SA AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister advise the house how South Australian patients will benefit from the introduction of new ambulance vehicles?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:50): I thank the member for Light who has a very strong interest in health services in his community and is a strong advocate for them.

Over the current financial year, $6 million has been allocated to the continuing rollout of the SA Ambulance Service new fleet of ambulances. This is part of a five-year, $21.1 million arrangement which I announced in 2007. As the financial year comes to its close I can announce that 53 new ambulances have been purchased and another five are in the process of being commissioned this year. This comes in addition to the 49 new ambulances bought in the 2007-08 financial year.

Nineteen of these new ambulances were placed in country areas. The member for Finniss will be pleased to know that this includes two in Victor Harbor, one in Strathalbyn, one in Goolwa and one on the Fleurieu Peninsula. There are also new vehicles in Mount Barker, Whyalla, Gawler, Berri and Renmark. Thirty four new ambulances have been placed in metropolitan areas including six at Fulham, three in Campbelltown, three at Prospect and four at Salisbury. I am also pleased to announce that a number of these new vehicles are now operating in the southern suburbs including one in Aldinga and four in Noarlunga.

The new ambulances are Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. The Mercedes has been selected because the van is brought into Australia already meeting many SA Ambulance Service requirements including 270 degree rear doors and interior dimensions that are large enough to be fitted out as an ambulance. All new vehicles will be the Sprinter 319 model which, for those with an interest in such matters, is a three-litre, V6 turbo-diesel engine which delivers the power required in a remarkably fuel-efficient way for a vehicle of that size.

Our major concerns are always patient care and the safety of both patients and ambulance officers but, as the SA Ambulance Service runs a fleet of more than 220 ambulances and responds to more than 246,000 incidents a year and travels around 2.6 million kilometres, we must also be conscious of cost. The ongoing replacement of the ambulance vehicle fleet ensures that all vehicles are replaced every five years.

The Rann Labor government is also in the process of renewing SA Ambulance Service stations. Since 2008, six new stations have been opened at Morgan, Kingston, Lock, McLaren Vale, Port Adelaide and Quorn. A new station is also due to open in Prospect shortly and construction is underway for country volunteer stations at Orroroo and Booleroo Centre. Planning is also underway for a major station at Parkside near the corner of Glen Osmond and Greenhill roads.

The government has also employed another 400 career ambulance officers since June 2002, a 75 per cent increase in that time. As I informed the house last year, according to a report released last year by the Council of Ambulance Authorities, SA Ambulance Service officers were the best in the country when comparing response times from the moment the ambulance crew actually start their journey to an emergency.

In urban areas, ambulance staff responded within 6.5 minutes 50 per cent of the time and 10.7 minutes 90 per cent of the time. All South Australia can be proud of the ambulance service. Our ambulance officers deserve our praise and gratitude for their dedication to the community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The government is committed to ensuring that the hard-working men and women of the service have the equipment and facilities they require to provide world-class emergency care to South Australians when and where they need it.