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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-28 Daily Xml
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International Paramedics Day

Adjourned debate on motion of Ms Hutchesson (resumed on motion).

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (12:04): I move to amend the motion as follows:

Delete paragraphs (d) and (e), so that the motion now reads:

That this house—

(a) recognises International Paramedics Day is 8 July 2023;

(b) acknowledges the crucial role paramedics play, putting the interest and wellbeing of others first; and

(c) thanks paramedics and ambulance staff for their tireless work in the most challenging of circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world comes together on 8 July to celebrate International Paramedics Day and it really is a fantastic opportunity to be able to thank and recognise our fantastic first responders. On behalf of the opposition, I would like to sincerely thank the thousands of career and volunteer paramedics in our state who really do support us when we need it most. Particularly, whether it is from emergency care to supporting our elderly, they have a strong sense of duty to our community, and I believe that that is absolutely felt regardless of which part of the state you are from. Paramedics do deserve our protection, they deserve our support, and deserve a government which prioritises the health system so that they can do their jobs.

I would like to spend a little bit of time recognising the significant challenges that our paramedics did face throughout COVID-19. There is a deep sense of gratitude for all of our healthcare workers right across South Australia, and that was never more apparent than throughout the global pandemic that we have endured over the last couple of years. Our paramedics were among the many health professionals in our community who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep us safe, and to ensure that we had access to health care when we needed it most.

In so many examples that have been already reflected on in the house, our paramedics did go above and beyond. They had a strong sense of duty and they prioritised in many cases the health of others above the health of themselves. That is a true testament to the professionalism that we see in our paramedics, and that is exactly why on 8 July we come together to celebrate International Paramedics Day.

Our paramedics did face extraordinary challenges throughout COVID-19, whether that was from the first ever recorded case at the start of 2020, through the Omicron wave and everything in between. They were there for us at every single step along the way, making sure that they kept South Australia safe. Despite all of the uncertainty that COVID-19 presented to us, we could rest assured that we really did have the best paramedics in the world, and we do have the best paramedics in the world. They worked with us as we battled COVID-19, they worked with all of the healthcare professionals to help keep our health system ticking, and to really help ensure that South Australians were safe throughout that period of time.

There is little doubt that the former government working hand in glove with so many healthcare professionals really did manage to navigate the global pandemic better than anywhere else in the entire world. As a direct result of that, there are more South Australians who are alive and that would not have been possible without a collaborative working environment with all of the healthcare professionals, but particularly our paramedics who responded to all of the emergency care that was absolutely needed through that time. Yes, it was tough—it was a really tough period—but more of our loved ones are here today as a direct result.

Yet despite the initial harsh impact of COVID really now being behind us, there is no sense that the pressure has been alleviated on our health system and on our paramedics. In fact, what I would say, and from speaking with many frontline health workers, the pressure on our health system is continuing to escalate and that is obviously placing extraordinary stress on all of our healthcare workers, on our paramedics, and ultimately on South Australians.

They are now having to operate under very challenging and difficult circumstances, and I think that there is a sense of frustration and disappointment in this government, because this was a government that went to the election with a number one election commitment to fix ramping here in South Australia, but since the election we have unfortunately seen those ramping numbers continue to climb and climb and climb.

This is a promise that has really been foisted upon our hospitals and our healthcare workers and there is clearly now extreme pressure on both our hospitals and our frontline workers to deliver Labor's political election promise to fix ramping in this state. It is one thing to promise something at an election—it is very easy to promise something at an election—but it is another thing to deliver what you promised, and that is exactly what the people of South Australia expect.

They expect that the government will deliver on their promise to fix ramping in this state and, as an opposition on this side of the house, we will always continue to shine a light on this promise because many South Australians voted for urgent action. They voted for urgent action for the government to fix ramping and it was this government who claimed to have the plan to fix it.

Those opposite have not just failed to fix ramping, they have actually smashed all records when it comes to ramping. They have set a new record for ramping and this really is not one of those records that you should be proud of because what it ultimately means is that patients are waiting much longer on our ramps. Patients are waiting much longer to be seen and that can only lead to much worse outcomes for our patients here in South Australia.

Rather than accepting responsibility, what we have really witnessed is a rather clumsy and desperate attempt to really shift the goalposts since the election, trying to pretend that they never promised to fix ramping; that they only promised to fix ambulance response times. I find that interesting because certainly at the election I never saw election posters which could have easily said: 'We will fix ambulance response times'. It was so clear about what the promise was and interestingly now that this government has presided over the worst ramping results in the history of the state, climbing month after month after month—only now are the government trying to shift the goalposts.

I think that is completely dishonest and it is exactly this type of dishonesty that we saw from those opposite at the election campaign. The people of South Australia, our paramedics, they remember exactly what was promised. The member who moved the motion, the member for Waite, people in her community and her electorate remember what was promised. People in my electorate remember what the government promised and people from right across South Australia remember it as well and that was to fix ramping. Our paramedics, like all South Australians, would have seen the Labor candidates standing in front of, holding placards saying: 'We will fix ramping'.

It is not going to be one of those promises that can be walked away from at all, because we will keep holding them accountable, just like the paramedics will keep holding the government accountable. Despite all of those promises that I have already mentioned, the government has failed to turn the dial at all when it comes to ramping. In fact, those opposite actually promised to fix it but it just keeps going backwards. I can understand—and I have mentioned this in this chamber before—but the government's main argument is, 'Well, we're trying. We're trying and we've got our flashy social media posts and don't forget what we promised.'

It is actually going backwards for South Australians and the pressure is rising for our paramedics and that is what matters here. It does not matter if you have a glossy social media or document or you say that you are now promising to fix ambulance response times, trying to gaslight South Australians. It does not fly at all and we will keep holding them to account. Again, at the election, there was this sense that urgent action was going to be taken. There was never a sense that there was any time to waste. In fact, South Australians were told to vote like their life depended on it and now we are constantly being advised that the goalposts have changed and that we are now kicking the problem further down the road.

I think that so many South Australians knew that the election was about the future. They just had no idea that the practical solutions and the fix that they were hoping for, that they voted for, would literally be so far in the never-never that it is almost out of the grasp of so many South Australians. Paramedics, rightly, are wanting to fight to save lives in South Australia. They do not want to fight to get their patients into hospitals or fight to be able to get their patients off the ramp. They want a fix to ramping just like we do, and that is why on days like International Paramedics Day we actually on this side of the house also stand with our paramedics.

I am speaking to so many of them who are disappointed with the lack of action that we are seeing, because it is one thing to be able to have the placard, to be able to have the slogan; what really matters is what you are able to deliver. When you start to peel back all of the detail—not just looking at record ramping and those transfer of care numbers—but when you peel it all away and look at what is happening not just outside of the EDs on the ramp but now inside our hospitals, it is not a pretty thing.

In fact, when we actually look at a number of the details, the budget papers do highlight the true crisis. It shows that, no matter if you are in the north or in the south of South Australia, you are now 80 per cent more likely not to be seen. That means that four out of five patients who need emergency care are not getting it within the clinically advised time frame, and that is an absolute disgrace. South Australians deserve better.

The truth is that this government only want to talk about the good things: the big announcements, the photo opportunities and the social media. They are not a government that want to roll up their sleeves and deliver what they promised—to fix ramping. They are always looking for someone else to blame, and who are they going to blame in the years ahead? Will it be the paramedics and the health system that Labor has run for the past 17 out of 21 years? One thing is for sure, Labor will always look for someone else to blame.

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (12:15): I rise in support of the amended motion:

That this house—

(a) recognises International Paramedics Day is 8 July 2023;

(b) acknowledges the crucial role paramedics play, putting the interest and wellbeing of others first; and

(c) thanks paramedics and ambulance staff for their tireless work in the most challenging of circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To stop and remember this work is really important. It is interesting to note that International Paramedics Day recognises and celebrates, all around the world, the role of paramedics and first responders and the vital role they play. It acknowledges the difference that paramedics make to people's lives in almost every imaginable situation. It raises awareness of all the settings in which paramedics work, including primary and secondary care, GP surgeries, the military, offshore, helicopters, emergency medical services, education, research, and telephone triage systems.

International Paramedics Day also promotes the profession to aspiring paramedics and students. I think it is incredibly important that aspiring paramedics and students are encouraged to continue to come into this profession because it has been shown that it is a profession that is going to see an ever-increasing need.

There is plenty of talk in this place about the challenges that are faced at the moment: the higher levels of ambulance ramping that we are seeing and the challenges that we have with our medical system. I think it is really important that we as decision-makers do highlight that, although the need and the challenge are great, and although we are seeing some frightening numbers in ambulance ramping at the moment in South Australia, it is a profession that we continue to encourage, inspire and incentivise people to come into.

Paramedics are experts in providing unscheduled care in unpredictable environments. They play a critical role in our healthcare system and in emergency response, from on-road paramedics to those working in the other sectors I mentioned before, including community paramedics and everything in between.

As a regional member of this place, I especially would like to highlight the difference between having an ambulance come to you here in Adelaide, on North Terrace, where the paid paramedic staff would come and treat your needs, as opposed to the regional areas, where we are completely reliant on volunteer ambulance officers and the incredible sacrifice those volunteers make each and every day to serve a need within our community. We have people who are putting aside their own lives to serve their community, and not just serve the community in a broad volunteer sense. Think about the time, the effort, the emotional strain and the physical strain that being a volunteer paramedic within a regional area actually does bring.

If you are volunteer ambulance member within my electorate of Flinders, wherever that might be—whether it is Cleve, Cowell, Tumby Bay, Cummins or Streaky Bay—you are often called to circumstances where, more than likely, you know the person you are going to attend, and, if you do not know the patient you are going to, you probably know their family and you probably know their friends. These are people within the community serving their community; it is as obvious a service as you can get within regional areas.

As someone who has unfortunately had to call upon the services of regional ambulances throughout my life, and for family and friends as well, that is always so confronting for me—to recognise community members serving community members in the most front of mind way. Near on two decades ago, I was involved in a serious car accident in an isolated place, but you know there are going to be people at your call to come and serve you for no other reason than they care for their community, they care for the people of their community and they want to continue to make sure that that community is sustainable.

As we recognise International Paramedics Day, I think it is an opportunity for us as decision-makers to consider, and I urge the government to consider, looking at expanding out their paid paramedic facility to some of these areas that are reliant completely on volunteer service. I think there is a way that we can structure some of these supports within certain areas put together—so Eastern Eyre Peninsula and Western Eyre Peninsula—to better support those volunteers who are doing that important work and put in place a better potential for a paid paramedic position, because unfortunately a lot of the volunteers who are putting up their hand for these positions are getting older.

It is more challenging for people who are in the midst of their career to take time off work to be a volunteer paramedic and to be called on at any time of the day or night often. Can I give a shout-out to a couple of people who are examples of that community paramedic volunteering network, which, as I said, is reflected all around the state. It is a couple of friends of mine, who happen to also be the mayors of their local districts: Mayor Geoff Churchett at the District Council of Tumby Bay and, next door, Mayor Jo-Anne Quigley of the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula.

They are a couple of people who are volunteering in the Port Neill and Cummins ambulance services, people who are very busy, people who are already giving so much to their community but recognise how important it is to volunteer for your community as a paramedic and to be part of the ambulance service in regional South Australia. They are examples, as I said, of people from all walks of life who put up their hand to do this work.

We know that COVID-19 was an incredibly difficult time for our frontline health workers, including paramedics, who worked extraordinarily hard to keep us safe, and paragraph (c) of this motion I think rightly recognises that extra burden, that extra uncertainty, that extra stress that was caused in that most challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our health system stood up when it was needed most, and our health workers were outstanding, and that includes paramedics.

It is also really important that we continue to look ahead at what the need is going to be for our state. As I look at the challenges that were faced by our regional paramedics in particular, can I point out something I hope the government and the bureaucracy are considering at the moment: the inconsistencies faced with vaccination requirements for paramedics.

At this time, there is a big push, a recruitment drive, for more volunteers for our ambulances, and that is fantastic—I see the advertising all around our state—because it is so important that people are aware that this is a service that relies on volunteers, and it encourages people to volunteer. But at the same time that there is that recruitment drive at the moment we have a policy that actually precludes people from being active ambulance volunteers if they do not have the policy designated level of their COVID-19 vaccinations.

For me, it is staggering that we can be at a point now, such a long way through the challenges of COVID and as we adapt as a society to the current needs of our health system and the way we are reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic, that we still have a policy in place that precludes good people from being volunteers within their community because of a policy. Can I point out the hypocrisy, in that members of my community who are qualified, paid paramedics can go and work as paid paramedics with their vaccination status but they cannot be accepted as volunteer paramedics within their regional communities.

At the moment, the inconsistencies are pretty clear for me. As I said, it is staggering, and I hope it is something the government and the bureaucracy are considering, because at the moment our volunteer ambulance services can potentially be hamstrung because of this policy.

At the time, there were over 100 ambulance volunteers who were precluded from volunteering because of the vaccination requirements from a couple of years ago. Times are changing, the expectations of our community are changing, and I hope it is something that the government and bureaucracy really take into consideration—to change this policy so that the good people who are looking to volunteer are not hampered because of their vaccination status.

Mrs PEARCE (King) (12:25): I also rise to speak to this motion today and provide my thanks and gratitude to the amazing paramedics out in our communities here in South Australia. It has been really interesting to hear some of the comments that have been made, particularly the 'where are you' comments that have been thrown around the chamber, and I would like to put on record where I have been in recent years and times.

I have certainly stood on the steps with our paramedics and I have marched with them, all for the very important cause of what they were calling out for at the time, which was resourcing. They were underfunded and they were under-resourced and they wanted to be heard, listened to and supported in that.

Not only did I do that on that level here in the city but I met with them in my local community as well. I had the amazing Ces, who was a paramedic who brought together different paramedics who work in the north-east to share their experiences and the pressures they were facing and experiencing. We also brought them together with the now Minister for Health as well as our now Premier to have those discussions.

Ces is an amazing person who did what he could to support paramedics, even though he no longer is one, often providing refreshments and support to those who were ramped or experiencing difficult times. He is now an active member in Trojans' Trek, providing a big service in terms of helping to address the stresses that can often be experienced by first responders, helping them to keep their health and their wellbeing in check.

From that and from these engagements we made some pretty clear promises. We made a promise to build five brand-new, state-of-the-art stations in our state, to completely rebuild another four and to upgrade another 10 stations—that, as well as employing an additional 350 ambulance officers and paramedics in our areas.

I am very lucky: I already have an additional 20 servicing my local community, which I am very happy about, and after July we will have an additional 12 coming on board, which I am really excited to see. I thank those at the Parafield station for currently housing and supporting them while they are supporting our community and while we await the highly anticipated build in the heart of Golden Grove.

As we announced the location for our station out in Golden Grove, I was really pleased to meet one of the new paramedics who came on board in March. His name is Sam. He actually had a career change. I believe he was a painter in recent years, but he then made the change and has recently completed his training to become a paramedic in our area. This is really exciting because Sam was actually born and raised in the north-east; he lived and grew up only five minutes away from where the new station will be built, which means he knows our local community intricately and will be able to provide the best services possible to our local community. It is something we are really excited to see, and he is already very much enjoying his time out servicing our local community.

There were also some comments about how the community was feeling at the moment about first responders in our area, and I want to share a post that was recently put up on the Tea Tree Gully WhatsApp page by an anonymous member, who said:

I just want to give a massive shout out to our emergency services. I unfortunately had to ring 000 tonight, as my husband was showing classic signs of a stroke. Within 10 minutes paramedics were here. Six of them. While three worked [on my hubby] one helped me calm, and two of them helped my two young kids calm down. One even managed to get my 'talk to no-one' child in his arms to say bye to daddy before they loaded him in the ambo.

Thank you paramedics, for everything you do. My teen wants to be one, and after tonight especially, I couldn't be prouder. (I am always proud of my kids, but circumstances can make it more so.)

Thank you to all our emergency services, and nurses. You guys are living legends.

It just goes to show that the actions we are taking are having a real impact in my local community. It is being felt, and it is incredibly appreciated. As has been touched on by that local constituent, we should be thanking them absolutely on 8 July.

Every day we should be grateful for our paramedics. It is something that I was certainly taught. My dad at one time was a volunteer paramedic in his early days. From my conversations with him, what he has seen and experienced as a result of that is a real indicator definitely of what they are exposed to day in, day out that we do not get to see—hopefully, do not get to see at all, and, if we do, maybe the rare case in our lives. What they put themselves through to keep us all safe should be incredibly appreciated. With that, I would like to thank them for what they do and commend this motion.

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (12:30): It gives me great pleasure to speak to such a topic. I do support the amended motion of the member for Schubert, our shadow health minister. Paramedics in general on the Limestone Coast in regional South Australia have been a godsend. Their importance first came to my attention, and I then had a greater understanding of their role in the community when I had to go and back the paramedics in the little town of Robe.

Robe is a little township—a sleepy town—with a thousand-odd people generally during winter. It used to be only about 500 10 or 20 years ago, but it certainly has a bit more of a winter population today than it used to. It blows out to something extraordinary like 15,000 to 20,000 people between Christmas and new year, and it can be in the thousands well and truly either side of that peak period. The little town of Robe has one or two doctors who see people from Kingston, Robe, Beachport and Lucindale. The only way they can do that is through the paramedics that we have at Robe and what we advocated for there in support of the GPs.

What does this look like? There are two paramedics based in Robe. They are obviously there all year round. They do not just do Robe; they are actually called out well and truly beyond the limits of the township of Robe and go all the way down to Beachport and out towards Millicent, towards Naracoorte, to Kingston and beyond. I imagine that, perhaps the quieter the road might be during the winter, the more that these paramedics might traverse the regions of the Limestone Coast.

In regard to the sense of how it works, I had a firsthand experience on the Princes Highway last summer. There were actually three accidents within about 20 kilometres of where I live on the Limestone Coast, at about the centre, between Robe, Kingston and Lucindale. One of them was on the Princes Highway where a car had a head-on. There were no fatalities, thank goodness, but a severely injured driver. The volunteers came onboard, including the fire service, and then the local paramedic arrived.

The paramedic took over, brought in some pain care and got the patient comfortable. He was suffering a great deal of pain from a head wound that was bleeding quite profusely. Obviously, that was stabilised as quickly as possible to get that patient comfortable. What I really noticed was the skill of the paramedic and I also found out that this paramedic had a great deal of background history in medical-type trauma, as well as being a paramedic driver, and I believe he had been in the hospital system as well.

If you can imagine that sort of skill out on the road, backing up those sorts of incidents in whatever the accidents might look like, then all I can say is that they are almost like a mobile doctor service to a huge degree. If you think about the fact that we have a shortage of GPs, and our hospital system is struggling to meet the needs of nursing staff and other types of professionals, anything we can do to simplify and build the medical system in our regions the better off we will all be.

Another one I want to mention is the Keith hospital and the model for the Keith hospital. It was a private hospital, it has been a bugbear to Labor and Liberal governments and we have tried to find solutions for this hospital. The fact that it was a private hospital and could not really deal with public patients was always a nemesis for the facility. One of the answers now is that we have a public medical hub there alongside an aged-care facility and the model includes a tier 3 nurse practitioner who is of a high calibre backed up by two paramedics who would work out of the township of Keith.

Knowing how the paramedics work, it is not just about the township of Keith. These two paramedics will be based in Keith, but they will obviously work the Dukes Highway. With the amount of traffic that we have on the Dukes Highway, we have seen some horrific accidents over many years and the Keith hospital played an important role in providing access for helicopters and had doctors and an emergency department for the stabilisation of badly injured patients and then they would be moved on from that hospital. The hospital does not exist in that framework anymore but I take great comfort in the sense that these two paramedics can play an equal, if not better, role in health services in these desperate situations

In the regions, the ambulance service has always been serviced by volunteers. It has become very hard to find volunteers who have the time and the training to drive the ambulances on a 24/7 basis. When volunteers cannot be found, paid ambulance drivers are brought in from farther afield and then backed up by the paramedics. That is helping the volunteers to know that the paramedics are there.

When I attend emergency meetings in regional towns about recruiting volunteer ambulance drivers, they talk about the onerous and constant training the volunteers have to do. I was clearly reminded of this the other day when I was around the Penola area and there was a gentleman there in the 60 to 70 age bracket and he talked about when they were volunteer ambo drivers they basically had no training. The main objective of a volunteer was to get out, collect that patient and get them back to the local hospital to be treated.

We know that we would like as much expertise and as much medical support as possible when the ambulance arrives but now if you do not have all the passes, checks and medical expertise that is required—I think that is putting people off becoming volunteers. A lot of people are of working age and we are very busy these days. Anyone who is employed does not have a lot of free time and if they want to give their time to the ambulance service, which a lot still do, it is another level of busyness and time taken away from other activities.

In recognising the paramedics and the volunteers, I have some data here that talks about the Limestone Coast where we have around 85 volunteer officers and 49 paramedics. We are also currently recruiting and training 41 more volunteers and we have a number of other specialities. We are talking very good numbers.

I know a couple of volunteers in the Lower Murray Mallee that takes in areas like Pinnaroo and Lameroo and sometimes they have to traverse the Victorian border from Pinnaroo. I know there are some magnificent volunteers out there doing magnificent work to support the local ambulance stations at Lameroo and Pinnaroo who have to drive a long way to take patients back to Murray Bridge, or even further if needed, in the sense that sometimes there are no GPs close by. I know that they have this Teams-type electronic medical system in Lameroo and Pinnaroo. It is not always ideal, but generally it is a backup system, again working with nurses. That is how valuable our nurses are in this system.

The paramedics in the system are important. I can see in the Murray Mallee, which encompasses Tailem Bend, Karoonda, Lameroo, Pinnaroo and Morgan, there are 43 paramedics with 33 volunteer officers, so there are more paramedics than volunteers. I think that speaks volumes about how important our paramedics are and the role that they are playing. I hope that we can maintain those levels and even build them with more resources and more training. I support the amended motion. It has been a pleasure to speak to.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN (Kavel) (12:40): As members know, prior to a commitment from this government, there had been a single ambulance in Mount Barker since 1992. Despite many representations to the then government in relation to this issue, it was unable to be resolved. The situation in my community had become unsafe.

Many thousands of people not just in Mount Barker but in the district surrounding and further afield were left with a situation that one ambulance officer described to me as 'ambulance roulette'. That was this: if it was the case that there was the need to respond to, for example, a first cardiac arrest incident, the local ambulance would be dispatched. If there was not sufficient cover from other ambulances, any second incident would mean that there was unlikely to be a response within a time—

Mr Whetstone: Welcome to the regions.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: —that would mean that your needs would be addressed. The member for Chaffey interjects and says, 'That's the regions.'

Mr Whetstone: I said, 'Welcome to the regions.'

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: 'Welcome to the regions.' Of course, just yesterday I heard from the opposition that Mount Barker is not a regional community.

Mrs Hurn: That's what the government says.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: It is a regional community—the government or the opposition. Your leader indicated that it was not, and I made very clear at the time that it is. My community does need somebody to stand in this place and say what occurred prior to this investment, and that was this: many thousands of people were left without adequate cover in the most significantly growing community in our state.

For four years, that issue was left unaddressed—totally unaddressed. I brought story and story to this place and to the inquiry that occurred in this place, and I was deeply concerned. More particularly, people who had given their careers, their lives, to the Ambulance Service were deeply concerned. I am particularly grateful that that issue has been addressed.

I can say this: land has been identified and secured off Bald Hills Road and Springs Road in Mount Barker for a fit-for-purpose ambulance station. A second crew is now operating in my community with 12 paramedics, and I was very pleased to meet Maddie and Harrison, two of those paramedics. Harrison grew up in the Hills, and he understands the needs that we face as a community overall.

Of course, it is not just ambulances: it is the need for a new hospital. It must also be said that in the course of the state election campaign there was only one major party that was prepared to commit to a new hospital in my community. I said at the time that I would welcome a commitment from both parties, and I still welcome a commitment from both parties to additional health investment in my community. I hope that in the course of the next election campaign, both parties will have learned the lesson that my community will be heard—my regional community—and there will be adequate investment, not just—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: The member for Hammond interjects in relation to the question of whether my community is regional or not. It seems to me that some people in this place have not learned their lesson about whether my community will be heard or not because there was no commitment to a new hospital at all.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: I will represent my community, member for Chaffey, interjections from you or not—and I have been sent to this place by my community, not by you, it might be said as well. So I will say that and I will say more.

My community needs ongoing investment. My community needs investment to match its growth profile, not just in terms of ambulance resources but also in terms of wider resources. I am pleased that those additional resources, in part, are being invested. Of course we need additional investment, particularly in palliative care—the member for Frome touched on that, rightly, earlier—and also in relation to paediatric services. I will continue to speak in this place, interrupted or not, in relation to these matters.

Can I say to my local ambulance officers, and I intend to provide a copy of these remarks to them and to many other people who have contacted me in relation to this issue, keeping in mind that more than 5,700 people signed a petition calling for additional ambulance services in the Adelaide Hills. I will make clear to them, and I make clear in this place, that we are deeply grateful for their service and expertise. They have saved many lives, they will continue to save many lives, and the 12 additional paramedics joining my community are welcome. We say thank you.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (12:45): I also rise to talk about this important motion. It was very interesting to listen to the member for Schubert. One of the things that happens when you just run lines and just run spin is that eventually reality will catch up with you. I know that those opposite have an issue getting their heads around time and lag impacts. We are a government that in two budgets has massively increased the health budget and is rolling out the things that need to be done: the extra doctors, the extra nurses, the extra beds. When it comes to paramedics, when it comes to ambos, we have runs on the ground—and far more runs on the ground to come.

I will look at the community in the seat that I represent. In that seat, I wrote to the previous health minister of the Marshall government about the under-resourcing—

Mrs Hurn interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell): Member for Schubert, just tone it down. I do not want to have to kick you out again.

Mrs Hurn: Again?

The ACTING SPEAKER (The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell): No, I have never kicked you out. I just made that bit up. If we could just calm our farm, that would be lovely, thank you.

Mr HUGHES: —of ambulance services in the community of Whyalla. What did they do? They did nothing. What are we doing: two extra transfer crews are going to be put into the Upper Spencer Gulf, an extra 24/7 ambulance crew is going to be put in Whyalla, the ambulance station in Whyalla is going to be improved and expanded and a new station is being built in Port Augusta. So we are actually delivering tangible stuff when it comes to the Upper Spencer Gulf, which did not happen under the previous government.

Mrs Hurn: What have you done about birthing services in Whyalla?

Mr HUGHES: We are doing a lot on birthing services in Whyalla. There is more to come out on the birthing service situation in Whyalla.

The ACTING SPEAKER (The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell): Member for Schubert!

Mr HUGHES: We did not close that service; there is more to that story than meets the eye, and that will be coming out in the very near future. We are fully committed to the reinstatement of birthing services in Whyalla, and that will happen. That is a rolled-gold commitment, that we will reinstate those important services in our community.

What the opposition cannot stand is the fact that we made a commitment to our health system and we are starting to deliver on that commitment. We are just over a year into a new government. Let's see what happens in the next year, the next two years, the next three years, when it comes to turning around the challenges that the health system faces—and we will turn around those challenges.

You went to the last election with absolutely no commitment to health. You wanted to build a basketball stadium. You wanted to build a basketball stadium in the CBD—the CBD. There was no commitment to improving, to seriously expanding the health services, to providing the funding necessary to create those improvements.

Members interjecting:

Mr HUGHES: That will happen, and it is happening. There are more doctors being employed, there are more nurses being employed, there are more beds are being rolled out and there are more ambulances on the road. There are more paramedics on the road, there are more ambos in general on the road, so we are improving the situation, something that was not done under the previous government. I had people in my community coming to see me about the Ambulance Service, about the long waits in my community and the distress that was causing. What did you do? Did you act? No, you did not. It was left to us to act.

The ACTING SPEAKER (The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell): Thank you, member for Giles. I think you go better with a little bit of noise in the background and something like that.

Mr Whetstone: It's called spin, Acting Speaker.

The ACTING SPEAKER (The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell): No, I think the member for Giles was absolutely spot on.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:50): I rise to support a very good amended motion by the member for Schubert—because on this side we are not about spin. We are about acknowledging the great work that our paramedics do, our frontline workers, our frontline paramedics who come in all shapes and sizes; whether it be an ambulance officer, whether it be a medical facility staff member or whether it be a volunteer it is a critically important space in any community. Whether in a metropolitan community or a regional community, I have witnessed over many years the valuable contribution that all paramedics make.

International Paramedics Day should be celebrated. I feel that every member of this chamber should have made a contribution because of the importance of the highly skilled men and women who grace our communities day in, day out, interacting with people and the forces of nature in extreme circumstances.

What we have seen, living on a federal highway, particularly in a regional setting like mine in Chaffey, is that sadly regional road accident incidents are growing. That shows me that those paramedics, those first responders, are doing an outstanding job rising above the adversity of the natural role they play. They have to deal with not only their professional attitude, and the way in which they attend any incident, but living in a community as well. There is a balancing act that paramedics perform looking after our people, keeping us safe and attending and addressing emergency situations. It really is an outstanding frontline service, and I call them frontline heroes because that is exactly what they are, and they are regularly forced to face challenging and traumatic situations.

It has already been highlighted that during the recent COVID pandemic it became apparent just how these amazing workers worked and how they protected us. They went above and beyond because we know that some of those first responders were putting their safety in second spot over looking after those people they attended. Over 2,700 career and volunteer staff provide aeromedical, rescue and retrieval services across the entire state, and I say thank you to every single one of them—every one of them. Whether you are paid or you are a volunteer, you are an outstanding contributor to South Australia.

In Chaffey, we have a number of ambulance stations in our larger town settings, most notably Renmark, Berri, Barmera, Loxton, Waikerie, Morgan, Swan Reach and Karoonda. In my previous life as an avid motorsport enthusiast, I was occasionally cared for by paramedics. Whether it was me being attended to on the side of a racetrack or in the river, there were a number of times when paramedics were the comforting factor in the circumstance I found myself in. I know that my son and I almost shared a hospital bed for a little while because of the nature of our pastime and sport. The paramedics played a big part in that, not only attending trackside or riverside but also getting us to a place of care.

In Chaffey, we have some notable paramedics: Mr Jason Hughes and Andrew Edwards are Loxton-based paramedics and together they run AJ First Aid, education and supply, and it is a great initiative that they have. Russell McQuade is a paramedic in Waikerie. He is also the Ambulance Employees Association state councillor for the Riverland and he does a great job. Mr David Lodge is a Morgan-based Ambulance Service volunteer and also a team leader. He was awarded the Premier's Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Volunteer Service back in 2019. Again, I say thank you. In the most recent floods, we saw the Renmark hospital residents relocation team receive a CEO commendation at the 2023 SA Ambulance Service Excellence Awards, which is another outstanding achievement.

There are a small number of paramedics in our region doing an outstanding job, covering a large area, some 25,000 square kilometres. The majority of those paramedics based in those ambulance stations have that outreach program and that will to help their communities. Again this year, like every year, I want to thank those paramedics, those first responders, the volunteers and all the other associated paramedics who come to the benefit of those in need. Whether it is a medical condition, whether it is a medical episode, whether it is an injury or whether it is, sadly, a road trauma, it really is a great comfort to see an ambulance coming up the road to help and play their role in making sure that people are kept safe.

I also want to give a big shout-out to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. They, too, have a paramedic service. They are obviously a flying institution—aeromedical they might call it—and they do a very good job. I want to say thank you to Peter de Cure, the Chair; Tony Vaughan, the CEO; and all the staff and volunteers. I know that they are professional and that their volunteers are passionate.

In Renmark, we are now seeing at Renmark Airport the construction of the new transfer facility, which is a small piece of infrastructure that has been long needed. We have waited very patiently for that transfer facility because we know the adversity of weather when transferring patients who need medical attention from the land-based situation into an aircraft so that they can be taken to a greater medical service provider, usually in Adelaide. It is a great institution.

I also pay tribute to that service, the Angel Flight service. A couple of my children have been on that Angel Flight, and there is nothing more comforting than seeing the great care, the compassion and the service the Angel Flight has given not only to my children but also to me as a parent knowing that they are in good hands. It is a great opportunity to thank paramedics on International Paramedics Day. Again, I say thank you. Thank you for your service, thank you for your dedication and for going above and beyond.

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (12:58): I, too, rise to support the amended motion and very much support the paramedics of our community in the work they do. Personally, I have needed very little direct engagement with paramedics, but certainly I have had some family members who at times have had need to call the ambulance and have the paramedics turn up.

One relatively recent time was for my father, who had a suspected stroke. The work they did and the care they gave him were fantastic—the care not only for him but also for my mother, who was worried about my father at the time. It was fantastic to have them in our community doing that role. I am also very much supportive of the investment that is going into the paramedic space. I have been in my local region advocating with the previous health minister, but I was not able to convince him. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.

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