By Casey Neill
EMERALD and Belgrave residents would be safer under a Liberal State Government according to Opposition leader Ted Baillieu.
Mr Baillieu last week promised to staff the towns’ ambulance stations 24 hours a day if the Coalition came to power at the November election.
The plan, which also included Yarra Junction, would see each station gain six paramedics at a cost of $120,000 a head.
The announcement was part of a $151 million pledge.
“Our plan will make people living in Belgrave, Emerald and Yarra Junction safer,” Mr Baillieu said.
“While they’re 12-hour manned stations they (officers) remain on call after hours and so the response time blows out because they have to be called back.”
In March, the Mail reported in ‘The pain of waiting’ that Emerald residents faced the longest wait for an ambulance in the state between November 2007 and October 2009.
Response times in the area averaged 17.4 minutes – almost eight minutes more than Victoria’s other top times.
Belgrave residents had an average wait of just over 12 minutes.
State Government targets are to attend 90 per cent of metropolitan area callouts within 15 minutes.
“What’s occurring particularly in these outer metropolitan areas is that those response times have blown out completely and the targets are not being met,” Mr Baillieu said.
The Liberal Party obtained Freedom of Information figures, which revealed that Emerald residents waited an average 20 minutes for an ambulance during April this year, more than 19 minutes last December and more than 18 minutes in January.
Average May and February waiting times were just over 16 minutes, March more than 15 minutes and November almost 18 minutes.
“By committing to make Belgrave, Emerald and Yarra Junction 24 hour stations, those response times should improve,” Mr Baillieu said.
The Liberal Party’s Monbulk candidate Matt Mills said several locals had told him ambulance horror stories.
A Monbulk woman called an ambulance for her mother-in-law and was asked to drive to the Angliss Hospital herself, he said.
“Lives will be saved. Response times will improve. People can sleep soundly,” Mr Mills said.
A State Government spokesman said last week’s announcement was “an uncosted promise from Ted Baillieu and the Liberal Party”.
“Their failure to detail how much they will spend on these initiatives highlights that they are not serious about supporting our ambulance paramedics,” he said.
“They are never happier than when they are criticising our ambulance paramedics.”
The spokesman said the government would continue to support Ambulance Victoria and its staff to improve services across Victoria.
Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato said she had ensured Health Minister Daniel Andrews was “fully aware of the situation regarding ambulance services in my electorate”.
“I look forward to the release by the Brumby Government of a metropolitan ambulance package,” she said.
