Newman’s Ambulance Sham

Media Release.

Shadow Emergency Services Minister Bill Byrne says the Premier’s six-month plan released today revealed more inaction than action on emergency services.

“His commitment to deliver 130 new ambulances is nothing but a re-announcement of what appeared in September’s State Budget, so has nothing happened in the intervening six months to deliver much-needed new vehicles to frontline Queensland Ambulance Service staff?” Mr Byrne said.

“In addition funding for the ‘new’ ambulance stations promised by the Premier for Emerald and Tara were first announced in the Labor Government’s 2011-12 State Budget.

“The Premier is attempting to pass off the standard delivery of ambulance vehicles and previous Government commitments as his own work.

“It is pathetic that the best the Premier can come up with for his Six Month Action plan is a rehash of last year’s ambulance announcement,” Mr Byrne said.

The budget papers from September contain the very same commitment as the Premier outlined today:

“the appointment of 60 additional ambulance officers to meet increasing demand for ambulance services… $18.4 million to commission 130 new and replacement ambulance vehicles.”

The Premier is also trying to claim this is an exceptional commitment despite the previous Labor Government committing more funding and vehicles in the previous two budgets.

In the 2011-12 Budget the previous Labor Government announced:

• allocate $20.4 million to commission 140 new and replacement ambulance vehicles
• recruit 50 additional ambulance officers to meet the increasing demand for service

In the 2010-11 State Budget a similar commitment was also made:

• allocate $18.5 million to commission 165 new and replacement ambulance vehicles
• recruit 75 additional ambulance officers to meet the increasing demand for service

“The Newman Government has obviously run out of ideas less than a year after being elected.

“It is a joke that the Premier has spent the last year fiercely criticising the previous Government and now the only announcement he can make replicates, but falls short of what the previous Government committed.”