Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): Supplementary to the Premier: when will the Premier fix ramping?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:15): Ramping will reduce when we see additional capacity come online into the system in a way that those opposite are simply not committed to.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett, you are on two warnings.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We know that whether it be in the area of mental health, whether it be in the area of services being provided in regional South Australia, whether it be capacity in the system, the employment of more clinicians, the employment of more nurses, getting ambulance response times down—which this government has already achieved in comparison to what was the case with those opposite—we know that on this side of the house there is a comprehensive policy.

Whereas on this side of the house, we now know what their policy is in regard to the hospital system: it is a smaller one. They believe in a smaller hospital system than the one that currently exists. Of course, the people of South Australia will know at the next election, if they choose to vote for the conservative side of politics, it will be back down the low road: cutting the health system, reducing the capacity of the health system.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Hammond—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, I will just ask you to sit down. The member for Morphett, you were on two warnings, I gave you another warning; you can leave the chamber until the end of question time. And the Premier will be heard in silence.

The honourable member for Morphett having withdrawn from the chamber:

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: That was just accidental. You won't be at the tribunal. The Premier.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: He has sat there for two days—two days. Today in South Australia, if someone calls 000 and they are calling with a life-threatening emergency, they are twice as likely to have the ambulance roll up on time than what was the case two years ago. That is a massive improvement and it makes a huge difference, particularly considering that we know in the month of July there were 800 more calls to 000 than what was the case two years ago. Yet despite the dramatic increase in the number of people calling 000 with life-threatening injuries, despite that increase, we know that the ambulance is twice as likely to roll up on time, and that, of course, is the difference between life and death.

We have seen the tragic circumstances that can transpire when an ambulance rolls up late which is why we need to see the highest possible percentages that can be achieved on ambulances arriving in the appropriate timeframe relative to the severity of the emergency, and this government has delivered in spades in that regard. We have made sure that ambulances have the resources to roll up on time. Of course, once the ambulance rolls up on time and administers emergency care to save a person's life, the next step, of course, is to ensure that when they get to the hospital, as expeditiously as possible, they are getting into a bed.

That is why we need more beds, that is why we need more nurses, that is why we need more doctors, and that is what this government is delivering in a way that those opposite never committed to. In fact, their only commitment was to actually reduce capacity in the system, and we see that reflected in the rhetoric even deployed by the member for Hammond only today.