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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-21 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. Is the Premier still committed to fixing ramping? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: On 20 February 2022, the Premier said, and I quote, 'Labor is determined to do what is required to fix ramping.' Labor's pre-election policy promised Labor will fix the ramping crisis. Thousands of election posters promised Labor will fix the ramping crisis. Since then, South Australians have seen the worst 10 months of ramping on record.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned for a third time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:27): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question because it is as important a subject as his earlier questions with respect to AUKUS. Of course, this government is committed to fixing the ramping crisis. On repeated occasions throughout the election campaign to which the Leader of the Opposition refers, I made it abundantly clear—on repeated occasions—on the records—

Mr Pederick: That you would fix ramping.

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —in media interviews, in leaders' debate, every time I was asked, that fixing the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —ramping crisis actually means getting ambulances rolling up on time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Morialta! Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That’s right.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned. Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens, order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The hyperventilation—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey, order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey will cease his interjections and the member for Hammond will confine himself to traditional dance.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The hyperventilation of those opposite, particularly the member for Morialta—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —is striking because it speaks to an incapacity to actually discern the facts.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Frome!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Morialta is right: a number of election corflutes that we had up made it clear that Labor was committed to fixing the ramping crisis. People repeatedly asked—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —including journalists, what does that mean; what does fixing the ramping crisis mean?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, please be seated. The member for Hartley will depart under 137A for the remainder of question time. The member for Chaffey is warned for a final time and the member for Frome is warned for the first time. The member for Morialta is reminded that he is on two warnings. The member for Badcoe, I note your interjections.

The honourable member for Hartley having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: Premier.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Morialta is right: the election poster said 'fixing the ramping crisis'. When we were asked, 'What does that mean?', we made it clear that fixing the ramping crisis means—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —reducing the level of ramping so as to see—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —ambulances rolling up on time. The Leader of the Opposition—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond and the member for Chaffey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —asks about—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned. Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The Leader of the Opposition asks about February, and I can report. I asked my team in anticipation of these questions—

Mrs Hurn interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —they were entirely predictable—'Can we please cite some examples of when we made that clear during the campaign?' So in February, the month to which the Leader of the Opposition refers—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —I was asked clearly, and I stated, 'What I'm committed to is ending ramping to the extent that we get ambulances rolling up on time.' On 28 February—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —speaking to David Bevan on ABC Radio Adelaide, I said, 'What I'm committing to your listeners, but indeed all South Australians, is that by the end of our first term we would significantly reduce ramping to end the ramping crisis to the extent that is now actually resulting in ambulances not rolling up on time.' In the leaders' debate—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —on 10 March—

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert! Member for Morialta!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —I made it clear that 'we want to reduce ramping to the extent that it sees ambulances starting to roll up on time, and that this is the critical point that people need to understand'. And here's a good one: on 17 March—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned for a final time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —days before the election—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —on ABC's AM program, I said in black and white, it's all there—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —'our commitment is to fix the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Morialta: again, I'm not complaining; I hope he keeps his breath.

Mrs Hurn interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned for a final time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: 'Our commitment is to fix the ramping crisis to get ourselves back in a position where the ambulances are rolling up on time again, and we think we can achieve that by the end of our first term if we are given the privilege on Saturday.' Then on 18 March, a day later, the Liberal Party—I'm happy to go on, sir.

The SPEAKER: The Premier may continue on indulgence for 15 seconds, given the number of interjections. The Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The Liberal Party, having background journalists on the back of that ABC AM program, thought they had struck a—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hammond is warned for a final time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —major revelation, to the extent that SALibMedia tweeted the very fact about what the commitment is they now complain about. It is quite extraordinary.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hammond is warned for a final time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is called to order, the member for West Torrens is called to order and the member for Badcoe is called to order.

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