Ambulance budget sky-rockets but only 53 new staff promised

LABOR spending on the Queensland Ambulance Service had blown out by nearly 8 per cent but would only deliver an extra 53 staff.

LNP Shadow Minister for Police, Corrective and Emergency Services John-Paul Langbroek said the QAS budget was yet another Labor disappointment – big on spending, little on delivery.

Mr Langbroek said the QAS spending for 2011/12 at $575.842 million was $42 million more than in 2010/11.

“Queenslanders would be scratching their heads as to where all the money has gone after nearly nine years of paying Labor’s Ambulance tax,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars spent and so little to show.”

Mr Langbroek said SES numbers had also flat-lined in the past two years.

“Despite the so-called summer of disasters it seems the Community Safety budget has been squandered.

“There’s very little in the way of new capital works. Details are very, very vague.

“Everyone was hoping for some leadership on overcoming the failures at the comms centre and with ambulance dispatching. But all there is from Minister Neil Roberts is a very thin mention of commencing the ESCAD upgrade – whatever that means.

“I can’t see a thing in the budget for over-stretched frontline ambulance officers forced to ramp for hour after hour at hospitals and bullied to take meal breaks on the go at Maccas.”