Question Time

Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to addressing a question to the Leader of the Government in this place regarding broken election promises.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Whilst there has been some easing of elective surgery restrictions in regional areas, a Code Yellow remains in place across Adelaide, while category 2 and 3 elective surgeries remain cancelled in urban and peri-urban hospitals. I call upon the example of Chris Temple, an Aldinga Beach resident, who had his elective surgery to remove a stoma bag cancelled twice. The surgery is elective but is life-altering. He was one of almost 500 patients who had surgeries cancelled.

I understand the surgery has been rescheduled for later this week, yet Mr Temple remains hesitant that it will actually take place after waiting since October last year—nine months. Many commentators are speculating that ramping figures will look, and I quote, 'horrendous' by the end of June. The South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) has told The Advertiser a direction is being made from management verbally mandating SA Ambulance Service offload at 180 minutes, and that SAAS patients were to be preferentially offloaded over patients in the waiting room. I remind the chamber again about the comments made by the Leader of the Government in this place on 27 February 2022, when he said to the people of South Australia, 'We will fix the ramping crisis.'

My question to the Leader of the Government in this place is: what does he say to Mr Temple and the 500 other patients on the elective surgery list when his government, in which the Attorney holds a key leadership position, promised they would fix ramping and the health crisis?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:24): I will happily refer the honourable member to Hansard—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Wortley, I am not sure I need your help. Attorney, would you care to answer the question?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I have answered, sir.