Ambulance Response Times

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): My question is again to the Premier. How many, if any, full investigations have occurred since 2022 into deaths of South Australians waiting for an ambulance? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: The ABC has reported that a patient triaged as priority 1 died in the Tea Tree Gully local government area in October 2022 while waiting 18 minutes for paramedics to arrive. Priority 1 emergency callouts are aimed to be reached within eight minutes.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:14): As I was just seeking to explain to the house before the constant interruptions, the Ambulance Service was cut and response times collapsed, and what we inherited as a government back in the beginning of 2022—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Premier, please be seated. The member for Hartley will depart under 137A for the remainder of question time. He had more than sufficient warning. The Premier has the call.

The honourable member for Hartley having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: At the beginning of 2022—and these are all publicly available facts—ambulance response times collapsed to 36 per cent on-time performance, coming down from 80 per cent.

Mrs Hurn interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Since then, on the back of a dramatic investment including an extra 170 additional ambulance officers who are now on the books today, now working today, over and above attrition—

Mrs Hurn interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —in comparison to the former government, ambulance response times have come back up from 36 per cent being on time, to now closer to 70 per cent being on time. So what we have seen, in a way that won't surprise anyone with a modicum of knowledge around how public policy works—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —is that when you cut the Ambulance Service—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morphett is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —they start to struggle to turn up on time. What we have done is invest in the Ambulance Service—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and now they're rolling up on time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Schubert is on a final warning.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: They are there for all to see, and so when the Leader of the Opposition asks, 'What's happening to the Ambulance Service?' we simply say, 'Look at the facts as they are presented.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morphett is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: They cut the Ambulance Service. People died waiting for the ambo to roll up.

The SPEAKER: Premier, there is a point of order under 134 which I am bound to hear.

Mrs Hurn: Nearly 100 on your watch.

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is on a final warning. I will turn to the member for Morialta.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: debate. The question was specifically: how many, if any, full investigations have occurred into the deaths of South Australians waiting for an ambulance since 2022? There was an explanation but the Premier is now definitely debating.

The SPEAKER: That may be, member for Morialta, but it is nearly impossible for me to hear what it is the Premier is saying, so I will listen carefully and your colleagues might otherwise observe the standing orders. The member for Morphett is now on two warnings and the member for Schubert is on a final warning.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: As I am very pleased to report to the house in terms of ambulance response times, which pertains to the Leader of the Opposition's question, in January 2024—so January just gone, the most recent stats available—71.5 per cent of all priority 1 cases were attended on time. This is in comparison to January 2022, and what was that number? It's 47.1 per cent. So we have gone from 47.1 two years ago to 71.5 today. On priority 2, which are still lights and siren emergencies, meaning it's a life-threatening emergency—for a priority 2, what is deemed to be on time is a 16-minute arrival time—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: In January 2022, two years ago, 36 per cent of ambos rolled up on time. What is it today? It's 65.1 per cent. So we have effectively—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —doubled the number of ambulances—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —rolling up on time. Now, what I am happy to explain—

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta on a point of order, which I am bound to hear under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: the substance of the question goes directly to the number of investigations into the up to 100 people who have passed away.

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully. There is some merit in the matter that the member for Morialta raises with me. I bring the Premier to the question.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: As I was saying, there has been a dramatic turnaround in on-time performance, which in turn affects adverse incident data. We know that when it comes to deaths occurring for people waiting for an ambulance, there is no doubt that the consequence of cutting the Ambulance Service three out of four years has been very substantial. To those South Australians who were so desperately worried two years ago about the fact that they were calling 000 and the ambulance was persistently rolling up late—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Adelaide! The member for Morialta under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: this is still political rhetoric and it is going nowhere near the question of how many investigations into the people—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have the point of order. I bring the Premier to the question. There are only seconds remaining.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We know that the Ambulance Service was crying out for additional resources—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and they've now got them and thankfully we see ambos turning up on time far more than what was otherwise the case.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is warned.