Ramping’s even worse – so why is the ambulance union so quiet? | Kathryn Bermingham

Ambulance ramping is even worse now the election is over, writes Kathryn Bermingham. So where did the union go?

“My name’s Ash and I’ve been an ambo for seven years.”

So began Labor’s powerful and frequently aired campaign video featuring “Ash the Ambo”, Ashleigh Frier.

“I’m not being paid for this ad. I’m doing it because I want people to know the facts.”

In the weeks leading up to the March state election, Frier had a sobering message.

In uniform, staring down the barrel of the camera, she spoke with conviction.

“Ramping’s worse than ever and it’s not just because of Covid,” she said.

“It could be you or a loved one that needs an ambulance and, the simple fact is, you might not get one in time.

“Lives are at risk and Steven Marshall isn’t doing enough. At the coming election, vote Labor like your life depends on it. Because it just might.”

Paramedics Ashleigh Frier and Sian Wanstall with a Labor poster at the polling booth. Picture: Twitter

It was raw, genuine, compelling. As it would turn out, the Australian Electoral Commission says some of those claims were also incorrect, with Commissioner Mick Sherry finding the line “ramping is worse than ever” to be “inaccurate and misleading”.

Even so, what made that video so effective was that Ash the Ambo was not your typical political representative.

This was not Rob Lucas throwing fake cash around to make a point about Labor’s spending, or Peter Malinauskas taking his top off for a photo op at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.

It transcended the day-to-day political stunts of an election campaign.

Paramedics were hailed frontline heroes throughout the pandemic, rightly lauded for risking their own health to keep the community safe.

And here one was, exasperated and speaking honestly out of genuine concern for the community. It was, quite literally, a matter of life and death.

And, although impossible to measure its exact impact, ramping emerged as the dominant issue of the campaign, and Frier’s appeal undoubtedly cut through.

As did the constant messaging that came from her union, the Ambulance Employees Association, which regularly faced the media with news of the latest tragic failing of the health system.

During the four-week campaign, the AEA linked four deaths to ramping. On occasion, secretary Leah Watkins became visibly emotional at press conferences.

No one could argue: The situation was dire, the government was not doing enough and paramedics were right to speak out.

Frier became a key figure in the Labor campaign and was praised widely for her advocacy.

But – her priority being the wellbeing of the community rather than politics – she vowed the incoming government would also be held to account.

This week marked six months since Labor claimed victory on March 18 and there has been no quick fix for the health system.

In June South Australia recorded its worst ramping delays to date. Code whites remain regular, and, on an occasion in July, SA Health ran out of inpatient beds for metropolitan patients. There have been deaths and more stories of patients forced to wait far too long for help. The system has been overwhelmed.

But the response from the AEA has been a far cry from the media blitz staged while the Liberals were in government.

By comparison, we now hear little from the union.

In a cryptic tweet last week, Frier said “legal advice” had prevented her from publicly commenting “until recently”.

Whatever the reason, what were unforgivable failings under the former Liberal government are no longer called out.

Throughout the campaign, the public was led to believe the union’s relentless push for a Labor government was borne out of genuine concern for the public. But their silence since then has raised questions.

If the union has been going easy while the government finds its feet, it’s well past time to ramp up the pressure.

The AEA must start holding Labor to the same standard it held the Liberals, or stop claiming it has any level of impartiality.