Liberal Leader David Speirs won’t commit to fixing ramping if he’s elected and has refused to release any policies on how he would make ramping “better”.
In a bombshell confession this morning, Speirs also described ramping as “a significant political opportunity” - showing his true colours: he’s more interested in playing politics than helping South Australians.
It’s now clear there is only one party which is committed to fixing the ramping crisis, and that’s Labor.
During an extraordinary radio interview with veteran ABC broadcaster David Bevan, Speirs was directly asked three times if he would commit to fixing ramping, and each time he floundered.
Bevan: Will you promise to fix ramping?
Speirs: We will promise to try and make it better.
Bevan: That’s not much of a poster is it? Vote for David Speirs, we’ll try and make it better?
Speirs: The thing is, Labor put at the very heart of their election campaign that they would fix the ramping crisis. We saw the posters … we didn’t make that commitment because we knew it was going to be very challenging… We will do everything we can to relieve pressure on our hospitals, but we won’t overpromise and underdeliver.
Bevan: Will you promise to fix ramping?
Speirs: If I feel that I am in a situation towards the election that I can do that because of the investment and the ideas and the innovations that we are putting on the table, I’ll be happy to make that commitment.
Bevan: But you’re not able to promise at this point that a Speirs Government would fix ramping?
Speirs: I don’t feel confident today sitting here and saying that I could eliminate ramping.
Bevan: I didn’t say eliminate. Are you able to make the promise, if you vote for me, I will be the person who fixes ramping?
Speirs: I certainly hope to have a range of policy options and infrastructure investments on the table in the lead up to the election that will take serious pressure off our hospitals and the ambulance ramps.
Bevan: So your poster will be vote for me, I’ll make it better.
Speirs: I’m not going to over-promise…
Despite being asked, Speirs could not articulate any policy he would implement to improve ramping and the health system.
He also told Bevan: “Ramping gives us a significant political opportunity…”
Labor is committed to fixing the ramping crisis and is investing more than $4 billion extra into the health system.
The Liberals won’t commit to fixing ramping and when they were in office with David Speirs around the Cabinet table, they made cuts to the ambulance service while also making more than 200 frontline nurse positions redundant.
This is the second major gaffe in two days from the Liberals on health – who yesterday were caught out once again lying about our ambulance service.
David Speirs and his health spokesperson Ashton Hurn must apologise to our hard-working ambos and to South Australians.
They gave blatantly wrong information while attacking the SA Ambulance Service in a press conference and media release yesterday.
The Liberals made no attempt to fact-check their lies before spreading the misinformation.
Any South Australian has a right to raise their concerns about treatment: but Members of Parliament have a duty to conduct due diligence.
The Liberals shamefully let ambulance response times deteriorate to the point that in a life-threatening emergency, there was a two in three chance the ambulance would not turn up on time.
Now, thanks to the investments the Malinauskas Labor Government has made, there’s a two in three chance the ambulance will arrive on time.
We have put more than 170 extra ambos on the road and hired more than 550 additional health staff above attrition since coming to government.
We still have more investments to come - more doctors, nurses, ambos and hospital beds, including 150 inpatient beds to open this year alone.
Quotes
Attributable to Chris Picton
This is an extraordinary and shocking admission from someone who thinks he could lead the state.
In a bombshell confession, Liberal Leader David Speirs won’t commit to fixing ramping if elected – and he has no policies to improve the health system.
He was directly asked three times if he could promise to fix ramping – and each time he back-pedalled and floundered.
Shockingly, he even described ramping as “a significant political opportunity”.
David Speirs has publicly revealed his true colours – he only wants to play politics, has no policies and is not interested in helping South Australians.
It’s now clear there is only one party which is committed to fixing the ramping crisis, and that’s Labor.
