The ACT Government will be required to publish quarterly reports on ambulance station closures and staffing levels after a Canberra Liberals motion passed the Legislative Assembly.
The motion, moved by Deborah Morris MLA, Shadow Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Community Safety, follows an internal roster review that found ACT Ambulance Service night shifts were below minimum-crewing levels 96 per cent of the time. Annual reports revealed that ambulance stations closed six times, totalling 38 hours of lost coverage in October.
Ms Morris said the reporting requirements would improve transparency and help address what she described as a “staffing crisis” affecting the reliability of ambulance services.
“Canberrans should be able to trust that lifesaving ambulance services will be available for them when they need it, regardless of the time of the day or night,” Ms Morris said. “Instead, a staffing crisis has forced ambulance stations to close or meant that some incidents are attended to at the expense of others… [This] causes moral injury to our ambulance service who are doing their best to keep the community safe.”
The motion requires the government to stabilise roster coverage; table a detailed workforce plan by March 2026; and begin public quarterly reporting on below-minimum crewing, overtime, station closures and annual leave liabilities. The government must also update the Assembly early next year on its progress implementing the Roster Review recommendations.
Dr Marisa Paterson MLA, Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister, said the government would adopt quarterly reporting, and emphasised that much of the work outlined in the motion was already underway.
She noted ACTAS uses a dynamic dispatch model, meaning the closest available crew responds to emergencies regardless of whether a particular station is temporarily unstaffed.
“Temporary staffing pressures, experienced across ambulance services nationally, do not result in any region of Canberra being left without emergency coverage,” Dr Paterson said.
She said ACTAS maintain strong performance for life-threatening cases, and the government would keep working with staff and the Transport Workers Union to support a sustainable and resilient service.
