Victorians in need are set to wait longer for help as new data confirms concerning reductions in the number of emergency call taking staff under Daniel Andrews.
Victoria’s emergency triple-zero hotline has suffered falls in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) call-taking staff across fire, ambulance and police in the 12 months to June 2021, including;
- Police Call Takers – down 4.6 FTE staff (-3.4 per cent)
- Fire Call Takers – down 4.1 FTE staff (-13.7 per cent)
- Ambulance Call Takers – down 2.3 FTE staff (-1.9 per cent)
Furthermore, the number of full-time Fire Call Takers has fallen from 30.9 in June 2015 to only 25.8 in June 2021, a reduction of 16.5 per cent, whilst Fire Dispatcher staff have remained flat over this same period.
These unacceptable reductions come as Victorians in emergency situations are being regularly left waiting on hold for up to 15 minutes to speak to a call taker and get the help they need.
Triple-zero delays cost lives and Victorian communities will never recover and rebuild whilst our police, fire and ambulance emergency response system continues to fall behind.
Only a Matthew Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will get our emergency service hotline back on track so families can rebuild in confidence knowing help will be there when they need it the most.
As stated by Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Brad Battin:
“Is it any wonder why Victorians in need are being left on hold when Daniel Andrews is cutting emergency call taking staff?
“Triple-zero delays cost lives. It’s unacceptable that call taking staff are being slashed as Victorians are being denied the emergency help they deserve.
“Only a Matthew Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will fix Labor’s healthcare crisis and ensure Victorians in need are not left waiting on hold.”
