Page 236 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 1991
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14 December - as to their intentions and preferred periods of leave. Of the 69 staff, the service received only 15 responses and the director of the service advised me that this is a real indication of the level of staff desire for a major change in the existing staff deployment processes in place within the service.
Mr Jensen will be making other remarks on this matter to explain the situation. I can, however, assure members, as I have assured them on previous occasions, that many of the claims made by Mr Berry in this matter are without foundation.
MR CONNOLLY (3.42): The Opposition's matter of public importance this afternoon has clearly not been answered by the Government. Mr Berry has made an allegation that can only fairly be described as a matter of extreme public importance. Mr Berry is saying that the ACT Ambulance Service is not available at all times when it is required as Government policy states it should be. Mr Berry is saying that a service that most Canberrans probably take for granted - hoping that they will never have to use it, but confidently believing that it is there when they need it - is not available at all times.
What is the response from the Government? We start off with a sort of sixth form debating point about the Minister's bowel movements and Mr Berry's speech, which added enormously to the prestige and standard of debate in this chamber, I am sure. Then we get to the Government's attempt at a substantive response. The substantive response is: The Government policy is clear; there will be four ambulances available 24 hours a day. To that we say, "Terrific; that is the way it should be". So, says the Minister, there will be four ambulances available 24 hours a day, followed by a choice piece of doublespeak, which I hope I have got down accurately, "but current absence factors are relevant to day to day deployment of staff". I think that means that ambulances are not available.
It is no good having a policy that ambulances will be available from four stations, 24 hours a day, if they are not.
Mr Berry: It is an agreement.
MR CONNOLLY: It is an agreement, as Mr Berry reminds me. The substance of this Opposition MPI is this simple list that Mr Berry referred to. I want to read this into Hansard again - and I want a response from the Government. Is this allegation true? We say that on 2 January the Calwell station was closed for a shift. On 8 January the Belconnen station was closed for a shift. On 18 January the Woden station was closed for 24 hours. On 21 January the Belconnen station closed for a shift. On 22 January the Woden station closed for a shift. On 26 January Calwell station closed for a shift. On 28 January Calwell, again, closed for a shift. On 29 January Calwell again - pity
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