Page 468 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 21 February 2018

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(b) explain why ACTAS emergency ambulance shifts fell below the minimum crewing level for 41.5 percent of all shifts, despite 35 923 hours of overtime being worked; and

I move the motion because the Ambulance Service is made up of men and women who work so hard for our community. They have a generous and professional nature. As with all our emergency service workers, the men and women of ACTAS are some of the best people in our community. They are dedicated, kind, caring people. They often put their physical and mental wellbeing on the line in the service of others.

These workers put in long days and nights and are often away from their families at important times such as family meals, school assemblies and Saturday sporting matches. It is always important when dealing with our emergency service workers to remember the sacrifices that they make every day for our community.

After putting in a 10-hour day shift or 14-hour night shift, our ambulance officers often are asked to work overtime to backfill vacant shifts. So, after having done a 14-hour night shift the night before, starting at 6 pm, it can suddenly become much longer, dragging into the hours later in the day. And when this has become a standard practice it leaves members of the force quite concerned. In fact in 2016-17, 35,923 hours of overtime were worked by our qualified ambulance officers. That is on average 98 hours and 25 minutes of overtime worked every single day. Almost 36,000 hours of overtime were worked by our ambos, yet the minister last week claimed that there were not workplace management problems and that there was no need to worry.

Despite our ambulance officers putting in 36,000 hours of overtime last financial year, still 41.5 per cent of all shifts were below the minimum crewing levels. It is scary to think how much worse this figure could have been if our workers were not able or willing to put in this additional overtime, which really cannot be demanded of people after working a 10 or a 14-hour shift. Let that sink in for a moment. Despite ambulance officers working 36,000 hours of overtime last financial year, above and beyond their rostered work requirements, the ACT government still failed to provide enough emergency ambulance service crews to meet the minimum crewing level for over 40 per cent of the time last year.

This is not good governance. It is not good workplace management and it is putting our ambulance officers under further stress. It is leaving the Canberra community vulnerable. It is leaving that workforce vulnerable to the long-term effects of overwork and overstress. Any workplace that relies on overtime just to keep up with normal operations is clearly not set up correctly. Even with 36,000 hours of overtime there was such a short staff issue.

But the Barr government and Minister Gentleman do not seem to be too concerned. When I called on them last week to provide an explanation as to why 41.5 per cent of all emergency ambulance shifts fell below minimum crewing levels, the minister amended my motion instead to call for a review into whether we should maintain the

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