Page 230 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 1991
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Mr Humphries: They were when you were Minister too, Wayne.
MR BERRY: If, as the Minister keeps claiming, there are enough staff, why have these stations been closed on 12 occasions over the last month? I heard him bleating that things were not up to scratch when I was Minister. He knows that when I was Minister I implemented an inquiry into the matter. The result of that inquiry fell into his hands and he did nothing. He has been Minister now for well over a year. He promised to fix the problem and has not. That is the truth of the matter. This Minister has sat on his hands for over a year and done nothing about the problems of the Ambulance Service except utter platitudes.
The unfortunate thing about this issue is that it has taken the public release of information to prompt the Minister even to say anything, let alone do anything. I am happy that it has been the Labor Party that has brought this matter to public attention and has caused the Minister to say that he is moving - but we have yet to see the results of that. At least last October we got a promise that it was only a temporary problem. I do not know how long "temporary" is, but those people who have had to wait for ambulance service on the occasions when the service has not been up to scratch would not agree that it was a temporary problem and they would not believe this Minister. How does a person who has had a heart attack feel when the ambulance officer arrives late and says, "Sorry, old son, we are a bit late this time, but it is only a temporary problem"? How would the relatives and friends of somebody who is ill respond to the tune, "This is only a temporary problem; do not worry about it"?
Mr Humphries: When has that happened, Wayne? It has never happened, has it?
MR BERRY: Mr Humphries just said, "It has never happened". I will tell him that in January there was a priority one call that had to wait - and if he searches through the records he will find it. This Minister's hollow promises will not help at all. Ambulance workers are suffering because of the stress caused by overwork. The community is suffering because the service is not up to scratch. They are concerned about it.
It is about time this Government faced up to this fact; but I do not expect that it will, because in the past we have heard this Minister bleating about education and how things are hunky-dory there, but we know that they are not and so does the community. It is about time that this Government faced up to the fact that it is responsible to the people of Canberra, and it is responsible for providing services to them.
The people of the ACT need, deserve and, most importantly, pay for an ambulance service. Some of them are forced to pay for an ambulance service. Those of us who privately
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