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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (26 February) . . Page.. 477 ..

MR SPEAKER: Order! We are responding to questions and not having a debate across the chamber. Proceed, Mr Humphries.

MR HUMPHRIES: There were in fact 51/2 crews or even six crews operating on particular nights. The Government tries to build in some surplus to account for situations where the number of crews falls below the required number. To summarise, in February we averaged a day shift crewing establishment of 5.1 crews and an average night shift of 4.7 crews. That meant that, instead of delivering five crews as we had promised in last year's budget, we delivered only 4.9 crews on average throughout February. I regret the inaccuracy in what I had to say, but I do not regret in any other way having to indicate that information.

Mr Whitecross: Do you regret the misleading statistics you are now quoting?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Whitecross says that it misleads. We promised five crews and we delivered 4.9 crews. You promised five crews and you delivered only four.

Mr Whitecross: How many times were there actually five ambulances on the roads in February?

MR HUMPHRIES: Which party in this place deserves more condemnation from the electorate, Mr Whitecross?

Mr Berry: We did not milk the community for a $15 road rescue fee.

MR HUMPHRIES: Perhaps you might have paid for the crews you promised if you had, Mr Berry. You promised them. You should have found some way of paying for them.

I want to raise one further issue. I am concerned that in the discussion of this issue in the media the Opposition has sought to raise something of a political football, the individual case of a person who sought ambulance assistance last week. Mr Wood outlined in a media release details of the response to this patient's case. I am disappointed that Mr Wood chose to raise this case at a time when the family were coming to terms with the death of a loved one. The family is, of course, very concerned about the death of their relative and that that particular fact has become a political football.

I think all of us in this place owe that family an apology for putting them through this at a time when they are coming to terms with their own grief. For my part, I am sorry that the family had to see and read about their relative in the media without knowing that was going to be the case. I certainly regret my part in having left this as an issue on the agenda, although I should put on the record that I did not raise it in the first place. I hope Mr Wood will similarly express regret about having raised that case in the media.

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