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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-14 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:28): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Leader of the Government in this place regarding the safety and wellbeing of South Australians.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: In February 2022, the leader's government campaigned heavily—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wortley, this is about your 17th strike—19th strike.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: In February 2022, the leader's government campaigned heavily with a slogan to South Australians to vote for Labor like their life depends on it and a promise that the government would 'fix ramping'. Ambulance ramping for the month of February 2022 totalled 1,522 hours. Now, 18 months later, ramping has more than doubled with record ramping at 3,322 hours for the month of October.

On Friday 10 November, The Advertiser reported on the sad story of an elderly grandmother who was forced to wait for two hours on the floor of an Adelaide CBD gaming room after injuring herself. The operator allegedly asked the caller to not get upset after he made repeated calls to 000. The operator allegedly said, and I quote: 'You don't know what the pressures are on the system.' Clearly, the government engaged in empty rhetoric in February 2022 in a shallow attempt to win votes and have not been able to fulfil an election promise. My questions to the leader are:

1. Will the government acknowledge that the ramping problem has worsened since the 2022 state election?

2. Will the government agree that their failure in this area represents a broken election promise and apologise to South Australians forthwith?

3. How many lives have been lost as a result of the government's failure?

4. Will the government apologise in particular to families and friends of lost loved ones?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:30): I thank the member for her question. Notwithstanding the probably out-of-order opinion that was right throughout the question, I will be happy to pass that on to the minister in another place and bring back a reply, but saying I just don't agree—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I don't accept much of what—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

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