House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Ambulance Ramping Ambulance Ramping Mr SPEIRS House of Assembly Black Leader of the Opposition Ambulance Ramping Mr SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My supplementary is to the Premier. With the background he has just given us taken into consideration, will he advise the house when he will fix ramping? The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Ambulance Ramping The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:12): The commitment that we made at the election, and I was really clear about this throughout the entire press conferences—and diligent former press secretaries would understand this—was that we are going to fix the ramping crisis. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That's right. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond and the member for Morialta are called to order. Member for Flinders! Member for Frome! The Premier has the call. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: If the opposition were paying attention through the course of the election campaign, they might have seen repeated— Mr Gardner interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned. Mr Pisoni House of Assembly Mr Pisoni: It's all about spin. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Unley! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: It's about fixing your 480 per cent increase on ramping. So when throughout the course of the election campaign we were asked the very questions that the Leader of the Opposition now asks, we made it clear that our objective was, over the course of this term of government, to fix the ramping crisis to the extent that we start to see ambulances rolling up on time again. We don't want a situation where we see an exaggeration or a prolonging— Mr Whetstone interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —of ambulances not rolling up on time. Our ambition, as we enunciated throughout the course of the election when these similar questions were asked on a repeated basis, is to start to see ambulance response times back consistent with the level that was in place before those opposite hacked the performance of the health system dramatically. Mr Gardner House of Assembly Mr Gardner: You said you'd fix ramping. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: And addressing ramping properly means seeing ambulances roll up on time. That's what we are committed to delivering. There are clear publicly available metrics that will ensure that there is transparency around the performance of the Ambulance Service. But, I will tell you what we won't be doing: we won't be going to war with the ambos. Part of our— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —plan is to not just give the Ambulance Service— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call. The member for Morphett is warned. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Part of our plan isn't just to throw more and more resources at the hospital system and the Ambulance Service, although that is a key component of it, but what we will also be doing is sitting down with those people who work on the frontline. If those opposite had taken the opportunity to do that at any point—say, the member for Heysen, for instance, if he had spoken to the Ambulance Service in the Adelaide Hills he would have known— Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Premier, there is a point of order. An honourable member interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens well knows that under 134 I hear the point of order first. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: The Premier is debating. He is talking about matters that are completely not germane to the question, which was when will he fix ramping in South Australia. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Standing order 134 requires me to consider the point of order and, if appropriate, to make a ruling. I bring the Premier back to the question. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: I spent a lot of time listening to residents in places like the seat of Heysen, and I know that in the seat of Heysen they care about ambulance response times in the Hills—which were appalling. So we have decided to invest in the Ambulance Service in the Adelaide Hills quite dramatically, something I know that you are particularly passionate about, Mr Speaker, in your capacity representing the people of Kavel. Similarly, I know in Finniss they are crying out for additional services and ambulances— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and additional shifts down at Victor Harbor. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Premier, please be seated. There is a point of order. I will hear the— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Member for West Torrens, I will hear the member for Morialta under standing order 134. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: The Premier is defying your ruling, which comes to obstruction. At the very least, sir, he is debating, contrary to standing order 98. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: I am not sure. Member for Morialta, despite your encouragement, in fact I did make a ruling. I just drew the Premier's attention to the question, which I will do now. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The question of course, Mr Speaker, was: when is the ramping crisis going to be fixed? I will tell you what, it is going to be addressed once we start to get these additional resources in place, like in Mount Gambier, like in Kavel, like in Finniss, like in Heysen, but we will see ambulance response times improve once we get those additional resources. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta is on two warnings. The leader has the call.