Page 3895 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 23 October 1990
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of these figures would have caused the Government had it provided them in the Estimates Committee as it was required to do.
I suggest, Mr Speaker, that there has been a cover-up in relation to this matter because of the embarrassing situation that the Government finds itself in. There is no doubt that the situation is serious. I heard the Minister say a little while ago that the situation had actually improved since last year because of the provision of seven extra staff, but in a moment I will come to the facts which will disprove that statement.
In the last 27 days, 26 September to 22 October, there have been 112 requirements for overtime shifts in the Ambulance Service. Mr Speaker, you should understand that that represents 25 per cent of the total shifts for the Ambulance Service in that month, and that 25 per cent of the total shifts were needed because of staff shortages. Bear in mind that 25 per cent of the total shifts were not filled and required overtime to cover them. Fifty-seven of those shifts were not covered, that is, ambulance crews were short and as a result at least one of the four ACT stations was closed on 32 occasions. That, to me, is the sign of an approaching disaster, if the Government cannot identify a difficulty and fix it because the difficulty is so severe.
Staffing levels have been down to as low as 1.5 crews. That is in the last 27 days - not the last year since the Minister first raised the issue, but the last 27 days. There have been 32 occasions where three or less ambulances have been in service in the ACT. The minimum requirement, and the requirement that I think is endorsed by the Government, is for four ambulances to operate 24 hours a day within the ACT. The Government has not changed that policy. I know the Minister is getting touchy about it. He ought to be touchy and he ought to be embarrassed because he is the one who had some concerns about it as long as a year ago, and he has forgotten about them ever since.
Mrs Grassby: It does not matter what we did. What has he done since? Nothing; it has got worse.
MR BERRY: They forgot about it, Mrs Grassby, did they not? Ambulance availability is often below that which applied in 1973 when the requirement was set. You have had a year to fix it and you have done nothing. You are the one who had all the concerns; you were high and mighty, up on your high horse about them a year ago. You forgot about them because you were too busy doing a job on our schools and hospitals. That is why you forgot. You are the vandal of our schools and hospital system.
Mr Speaker, I will give you a couple of examples of what is happening to the Ambulance Service. Recently there was a motor vehicle accident which resulted in a woman having a
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