More paramedics and ambulance vehicles

26 August 2021

Jeremy Rockliff MP

Minister for Health

Tasmania will have an additional 48 paramedics and around 30 new state-of-the-art ambulance vehicles, as part of our significant investment in health to secure Tasmania’s future.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is delivering our plan to support Ambulance Tasmania with more paramedics in regional areas to improve response times, with an additional $40.8 million over four years to recruit 48 extra paramedics.

This includes funding for 24 additional paramedic crews in Launceston and Hobart, as well as three new paramedics for Sheffield, Dodges Ferry, Campbell Town and New Norfolk, as well as two new paramedics for St Helens, the West Coast and the North East. It also includes the permanent placement of two paramedics in Swansea, Miena and Bruny Island.

We are also providing $9 million in the 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget to upgrade Ambulance Tasmania’s vehicle fleet, with around 30 new ambulances, equipped with best-practice paramedic systems and built, refurbished and fitted out right here in Tasmania.

The new Mercedes Sprinter Type 1 ambulances will increase reliability and reduce time out-of-service for repairs, and will come online by mid-2022.

Importantly, these new vehicles will increase the proportion of the fleet that is equipped with modern safety features and new equipment, including powered stretchers, delivering improved safety for patients and paramedics.

The contract for the build and fit-out of the ambulances and their interiors has been awarded to Penguin-based company Mader International.

This vehicle and equipment funding will also be used to replace ageing stock, deliver an improved fleet management service and upgrade and replace critical equipment to support paramedics.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is also committing an extra $4.3 million for the construction of the Burnie Ambulance Station and $4.3 million for the Glenorchy Ambulance Station. This is in addition to the $6 million already committed to each project and will ensure we can build state-of-the-art facilities for our dedicated paramedics.

Improving ambulance response times and investing in our health system is a key priority in the Tasmanian Liberal Government’s plan to secure Tasmania’s future, and we are firmly focused on delivering, with this work already underway.