Sa Ambulance Service

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:37): Can the Treasurer outline the details of the settlement deal on ambulance services as announced today?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:37): I am sure all members, irrespective of their political colour and persuasion, will be delighted to learn that there has been a settlement deal reached between government negotiators and the Ambulance Employees Association in relation to the ongoing dispute on ambulance services in South Australia.

Mr President, as you will recall, the parties did start a long way apart. The association—the union—was demanding 300 extra ambulance officers and no reform at all to be instituted. We are delighted that both sides, in the interests of patient safety and staff safety within our public hospitals, were prepared to compromise, and instead of 300 additional full-time staff there will be 74 additional full-time staff, of which 24 will be in four country locations, the other 50 in metropolitan locations.

The funding will be made available immediately for those. Staff will obviously have to be trained. The union accepts that that is indeed the case—they should be properly trained—and they will commence work as soon as they are properly trained.

Importantly, as part of the industrial negotiation undertaken under a mediator in the Employment Tribunal, the union has agreed now to comprehensive roster reform. In particular, the new reform models will be agreed by 30 June—so in less than two months—this year, and the important phrase or clause that the union has signed off on together with the government is 'it will shift the balance towards an increased reliance on other existing shorter shift arrangements'.

One of the dilemmas at the moment is that more than 90 per cent of our shifts are on the long and tiring 12-hour shifts. The government's position has been, whilst retaining the option of 12-hour shifts, that there be an increased reliance on shorter shifts: eight, 10 and a new 10½-hour shift arrangement. The union has agreed that the existing arrangements that any shift of a length greater than 10 hours would have two meal breaks, and the union has agreed that the new 10½-hour shift would only have one meal break as part of their willingness to compromise in this particular settlement deal.

I repeat again that the words from the mediator, signed by both sides, are 'shift the balance towards an increased reliance on other existing shorter shift arrangements'. I note that claims that the only people who will take on shorter shifts will be the extra 74 staff and not the existing 1,500 or 1,600 staff isn't an accurate reflection of what has been agreed between the parties and signed off by the independent mediator. I repeat again that 12-hour shifts will remain an option and an important option, but there will be an increased reliance and a shift in the balance towards shorter shifts: eight, 10 and 10½-hour shifts as part of the settlement arrangement.

The government indicated in terms of settlement that it was willing to further compromise on meal break reform. Both sides have agreed to improved crib performance discussions, which will commence no later than 14 May this year, but it's fair to say the details of that are still to be negotiated. The government's position on that is clear and I won't restate that here. The union still has a strong position opposing key elements of the government's discussion, but they have committed to improved crib performance reform discussions, commencing no later than 14 May.

The final key detail of the settlement arrangement has been, again, dot point 4 of the signed agreement under Deputy President Gilchrist, that the AEA agrees to cease all industrial action in South Australia. Clearly, the only tangible signs of industrial action in the community were union members taking it upon themselves to chalk ambulances. Clearly, the signed agreement requires and will require the removal of those chalk messages on government property, which is the ambulances.

As occurred in relation to firefighters, who took it upon themselves to mount signs in stations but also to mount signs on public property (that is, fire engines), they were directed to take those down. If it's required, ambulance officers will be directed to remove signs from government property. The simple fact is that no-one has the right to write their own messages on government property.

If they want to write chalked messages on their own cars and drive them around Adelaide, that's up to them, that's their property, but the taxpayers actually own the ambulances or the fire engines and no-one has the authority to write whatever it is they wish on taxpayer-owned government property such as ambulances. The clear message from the signed agreement is that all industrial action will be ceased and that particular aspect of the deal will be enforced, if it is so required.