Lambley questions if ambulances should be sent to town camps after attacks

A TERRITORY Alliance candidate has come under fire for questioning if ambulances should be sent to town camps in Alice Springs if attacks continue on emergency service workers

Robyn Lambley Member for Araluen

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A TERRITORY Alliance candidate has come under fire for questioning if ambulances should be sent to town camps in Alice Springs if attacks continue on emergency service workers.

A post was made on the Territory Alliance Central Australia Facebook page referencing an incident where an ambulance was damaged in a town camp whole paramedics were responding to a medical emergency.

“If the Town Camp residents and management groups cannot guarantee the safety of our critical response workers when they enter the Camps at night, then the question begs, should we be sending them there?” the post said.

Territory Alliance member for Araluen Robyn Lambley said she stood by the post which also stated a Territory Alliance Government will call an emergency forum with all Alice Springs Town Camp Reference Groups and stakeholders to work out how they can stop assaults

“I live in the real-world and I know a lot of town caps are dangerous places at night,” she said.

“Historically they are very dangerous places at night that’s the reality of it,” she said.

Member for Namatjira Chansey Paech said blaming entire communities for the unacceptable actions of a few is not on.

“Terry’s Alliance should be apologising to all Town Campers for this dog whistling threat to withdraw ambulance and other services if they don’t toe the Territory Alliance line,” he said.

“No one condones behaviour that puts critical responders in danger or threatens the safety of community members.

“But I don’t see Terry Mills making the same threats in his Palmerston seat to withdraw critical services in response to incidents of anti-social behaviour there.

On Friday, 24 July 2020, an Intensive Care paramedic was attending a patient with a cardiac issue while awaiting an ambulance for transport to hospital. The treatment was interrupted when the windscreen of the paramedic’s vehicle was shattered by a rock thrown by someone outside the residence.

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While the paramedic was not injured, it did mean that she was distracted from caring for the patient and the vehicle was taken out of service for repairs.

Ms Lambley said she has not consulted with Town camp community members of the issue yet.

“If we can sit down as community with management of town camp of safety of residents and visitors then that is even sadder,” she said.

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