Legislative Council, Thursday 24 November 2022

Mrs HISCUTT (Montgomery - Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council)- The other answer I had was for the member for Murchison, and I will read it through. I hurried to get an answer as best I could and I thank the department for doing that.

In relation to the matter that the member for Murchison raised last night and the night before, on adjournment, I want to assure the member - and the community - that the Tasmanian Government is committing to expanding and adding resources to stations and areas to continue providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time.

Smithton Ambulance Station currently employs two paramedic branch station officers, who work as a single officer on rotation, involving day shifts and being on-call overnight to provide care to the Circular Head community. I am advised there is currently a part-time position vacant at the Smithton Ambulance Station, and this is being actively recruited to.

I want to assure the member that when unplanned leave occurs every effort is made to fill the vacancy. Staff from the Wynyard and Burnie Ambulance Stations also respond to incidents in the Circular Head area as required. Paramedics at Smithton are supported by volunteer ambulance officers, who are actively paged to attend cases if required. I am also advised that demand at the Smithton Ambulance Station is comparable to other single branch stations across the state.

During the last election the Government committed to a review of ambulance service demand which will assess the future needs of communities in Tasmania, including the Smithton region. The Government looks forward to seeing the final review, which will give us the information we need to help guide future investments across the state. All I can say, Mr President, is that the member for Murchison's comments have been heard by the department.

Ms Forrest - Through you, Mr President, it is interesting that we still could not get an ambulance.