House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-02 Daily Xml

Contents

SA Ambulance Service

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (15:00): My question is to the Premier. How does the Premier respond to frontline paramedic Josh Cox's desperate plea for additional resourcing to prevent a catastrophe? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PICTON: Last Monday, frontline paramedic Josh Cox courageously fronted the media saying, quote:

People need to know that the community is at risk…[we're] one large scale motor vehicle accident away from a catastrophic event.

I firmly believe that.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:01): I thank the member for the question. The government is very committed to supporting its community through enhanced ambulance services, through enhanced health services, and indeed anyone working in that system. We are working day and night to see the system be the best it can be, but the member in his question talks about lower resourcing, and as the Premier clearly outlined in his last answer and as are clearly outlined in the budget papers, the member misrepresents the facts if he says that there indeed is less expenditure on this service.

This government continues to support enhanced services, and I do encourage the member for Kaurna to read carefully the advice provided in my earlier answers and the earlier answers from the Premier.