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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (25 February) . . Page.. 385 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

How do you reconcile that statement with the fact that there was no fifth ambulance available on the 1st, which was a Saturday night; the 7th, which was a Friday night; the 8th, which was a Saturday night; or the 15th, which was a Saturday night; that is, a fifth ambulance was available on only one out of five Friday or Saturday nights before last week's incident occurred? Minister, why, in your press release, did you deliberately mislead the public?

MR HUMPHRIES: Let me not thank you for your question. I think that part of the question where you said that I have misled the public is very untrue, and I think you should be asked to withdraw that. You have obviously come to this parliament with certain information; my information is different to that. I have information from officers, delivered to me only today, of the Ambulance Service - and I will table this information in a moment, for members' interest - which does not give a breakdown of what shifts were on what days but which suggests that there were a total of 49 shifts so far in February, which I assume is till a day or so ago; on 39 of those 49 shifts, five crews were available, that is, for 80 per cent of the total number of shifts available for the month to date; there were 41/2 crews available on a further four shifts, another 8 per cent of the total for the month to date; and there were four crews available on only six shifts, or 12 per cent of the total number of shifts available. Therefore, 80 per cent of the available shifts were covered by a minimum of five crews. Sometimes there were more than five crews, but a minimum of five crews.

I do not know whether the particular dates you have referred to are provided for in the total, but I think you have actually read out more than a total of 10 shifts where there were supposedly fewer than five crews. Mr Whitecross said there were 12 such shifts. My information is that there have been only 10 shifts to date this month where there have been - - -

Mr Whitecross: You said eight and six; eight and six are 14.

MR HUMPHRIES: Okay, 14 shifts then. My information is that only 10 shifts this month to date - - -

Mr Whitecross: You said eight and six.

MR HUMPHRIES: No; I said 80 per cent. I will repeat the information for Mr Whitecross's benefit. There were five crews on 39 shifts, representing 80 per cent of the total shifts to date for this month. I am not sure what that list goes up to; I understand it was a day or so ago. There were 41/2 crews on four shifts, or 8 per cent; and four crews on six shifts, or 12 per cent. If you have information that says there were 12 shifts where there were fewer than five crews, then your information differs from mine. I have been given information, and I relay it to the parliament in good faith. I spoke to my staff only a few moments ago, and that is the information that they confirmed to me is accurate.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, I do not think Mr Humphries has fully addressed the matters raised in my original question about his claim, for instance, that they especially made these crews available on Friday and Saturday nights; whereas, in fact, the evidence

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