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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-27 Daily Xml
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Robe Community Paramedic

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:52): My question is to the Minister for Health. Is there a plan to re-employ a community paramedic in Robe? With your leave, Mr Speaker, and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: The community paramedic in Robe has retired. This position has successfully helped with medical needs of locals, working in conjunction with local medical clinics and the Kingston hospital.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:52): I thank the member for MacKillop for his question and his advocacy in relation to the community paramedic service in Robe. It is an issue where the member and I have discussed this a number of times over the course of this parliamentary term. In fact, we had a meeting with Liam McKay, who recently retired as the community paramedic in Robe. I particularly want to put on the record for the house my thanks to him for the work that he does in that community.

Of course, Robe is a community that doesn't have a hospital located in it. It is serviced by the Kingston hospital, and it has been long serviced by Dr David Senior, who I also thank for his incredibly long service to the community as the resident GP in the area. One of the benefits of the community paramedic in Robe has been the support and the cooperation between Dr Senior and other GPs who have been part of that practice and also Liam as the community paramedic.

While we of course regret Liam retiring, we understand the reasons for him to do so, and we certainly have a desire to make sure that we can attract and secure a new paramedic into that particular role in Robe into the future. It does require particular skills, including suturing, wound care, antibiotic administration and in-hospital support of critically unwell patients awaiting retrieval.

I am happy to advise the member that the position was advertised this week. It is already creating interest and inquiries from suitably qualified paramedics. We want to continue our work with the local community. Also, as the member will be very aware, one of the things this government has done is we have brought Keith into the SA Health fold. As part of the Keith health service, now within SA Health, ending the years of debate around the Keith hospital, we also have a community paramedic role based there. It is an area and a particular role which is, I think it is fair to say, still under development, but I am very keen to see that expanded into the future. Not only have we had that position in Robe but we have also, as the member for Flinders will no doubt be aware, had a community paramedic in Ceduna, who has played a slightly different role, understanding it is a very different community. We are also in the process of recruiting a new community paramedic into Wallaroo as well.

We see a good future for these positions. I think we can attract suitably qualified paramedics into them who have that expanded scope of practice. As we have done with those first two positions, we can tailor it to what the particular health needs of the local community are. I want to thank Liam again for his many years of service to the Robe community and look forward to a hopefully successful outcome of the recruitment process that is now underway.

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