Premier doubles down on his claim that all was well with the state’s triple-0 service pre-Covid

The daughter of a victim of Victoria’s ailing triple-0 service has slammed Premier Daniel Andrews for failing to apologise properly for 33 deaths.

The daughter of a victim of Victoria’s ailing triple-0 service has slammed Premier Daniel Andrews for failing to apologise properly for 33 deaths, revealing an earlier apology letter misspelled his name.

Lisa Hennessy said her 82-year-old father, Stewart Grant, had died after waiting 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at his Phillip Island home.

“They couldn’t even get my father’s last name right in an apology letter they wrote to us,” she said.

“Sadly, the Victorian government knew in October 2021 it had a problem and could not deliver ambulances to people who needed them most.”

But she said nothing had changed by January when her father died.

“It’s simply gut-wrenching. The death toll keeps rising because of ambulance delays,” she said.

Lisa Hennessy with her dad, Stewart Grant

Mr Andrews doubled down on his claim that all was well with the state’s triple-0 service up until the pandemic hit, saying ESTA had been meeting its benchmarks before Covid.

The premier again ducked responsibility for long-term problems at ESTA on Thursday morning, saying the triple-0 service was meeting its benchmarks before Covid hit.

He also said the government had provided ESTA with the resources it required.

His latest comments follow a key union representing ambulance workers launching a scathing attack on Mr Andrews’ claim that inadequate funding played no role in the deaths of 33 Victorians.

Mr Andrews says all was well with the state’s crisis plagued triple-0 service until the pandemic hit. Picture: David Crosling

Ambulance Employees Australia Victorian secretary Brett Adie told the Herald Sun that financial issues were highlighted in 2018 but nothing was done.

Mr Andrews on Thursday said: “The problem with that thesis, with that theory put forward by that person … is that of course that, as I said before, ESTA was meeting and exceeding its benchmarks before the pandemic, and not for a week or a month before the pandemic, but for an extended period of time before the pandemic.

“They then, of course, could not meet their targets during the pandemic event because there were more calls than they have ever received.”

Mr Adie told the Herald Sun financial issues were highlighted in 2018 but nothing was done.

Between 2019 and 2020, call volume at ESTA increased by 6.9 per cent, but staffing increased by just 1.6 per cent.

“Staffing levels at ESTA were not even keeping up with pre-Covid demand, so what hope did Victorians have that resourcing was adequate to cover Covid?” Mr Adie said.

“It is nonsensical to claim that more ESTA resources would not have resulted in better outcomes for patients.”

Ambulance Employees Australia Victorian secretary Brett Adie says financial issues were highlighted in 2018. Picture: Stephen Harman

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management review of ESTA – released during the weekend footy finals – said “longstanding” issues with the service’s funding model restricted its ability to and left it unable to cope with a surge in demand.

“The Victorian government was aware of ESTA’s precarious financial position as early as 2015,” the report said.

“Since 2014-15, ESTA has sought, and government has provided, annual supplementary funding via the Victorian state budget for its structural deficit.

“The ad hoc nature of the year-to-year supplementary funding arrangements limits ESTA’s ability to recruit to meet demand.”

Victoria’s Inspector-General for Emergency Management Tony Pearce carried out the ESTA probe. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Former ESTA chair Roger Leeming has also said he was pressured to resign after pushing for more stable funding in 2015.

Mr Andrews has denied the charge.

“That’s not right,” he said on Thursday.

“Every time there was extra funding needed and asked for, it was provided.”

Mr Andrews has also come under fire for claiming the extent to which the triple-0 system was overwhelmed during the pandemic “was not foreseeable”.

Victoria’s Inspector-General for Emergency Management Tony Pearce, who carried out the ESTA probe, said the agency had accurately predicted Covid surges.

“ESTA were able to forecast ahead and predict what was likely to happen with the surge of the two waves of the pandemic, which they did”, he said this week.

Mr Pearce said a short-term funding model for ESTA did not “provide them enough capacity to then ramp up when they get a large surge event”.

Originally published as Premier doubles down on his claim that all was well with the state’s triple-0 service pre-Covid