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Mr ARMSTRONG (Lachlan) [6.01 p.m.]: I want to speak about an incident that occurred recently at Ardlethan in the south-west of the State. I refer to an article in the Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser earlier this week, which states:
An Ardlethan man has criticised the 000 emergency services network after his wife died from an asthma attack.
Marian Flagg, 64, died on March 28 at her Moombooldool property after the ambulance her husband called for got lost.
While it is agreed the ambulance got lost, the New South Wales Ambulance Service claims it was given incorrect directions, a claim that George Flagg disputes.
When Mr Flagg, 68, called 000 when his wife first had difficulty breathing, the Wollongong-based ambulance operator allegedly asked him what street Ardlethan was in.
Mr Flagg said he gave clear instructions to the operator for the ambulance to follow the Moombooldool-Buryalang road from Ardlethan to his property.
He claimed the operator in Wollongong had no idea where Ardlethan was.
"I think the ambulance was late because they didn't get the message properly," Mr Flagg said.
"I'm not blaming the ambulance officers, but they got lost on the way and when they arrived, Marian had already died.
"We could have saved her if the ambulance had arrived earlier.
"The only reason I have come forward about this is because I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else, but I bear the ambulance service no ill will."
Mr Flagg said he could not remember at what time he called 000, or exactly how long it took for help to arrive and the ambulance service would not release the call times when contacted last night.
While receiving treatment himself for medical conditions at both Wagga and Griffith Base Hospitals, Mr Flagg claimed several nurses had told him of similar cases they had heard of local ambulances getting lost after receiving incorrect directions from Wollongong.
After asking the New South Wales Ambulance Service why Wollongong operators were directing Riverina officers to emergencies, Mr Flagg was told the 000 dispatch had been centralised at Wollongong "to save costs".
"I told them it might save costs but it wouldn't save lives," he said.
"Wagga is the centre of our region, people there know where small towns are and so the telephone dispatch should be in Wagga."
There is a further article about this matter in the same newspaper. I emphasise that I do not in any way intend to criticise the ambulance officers. I praise them for doing a wonderful job. However, they have an extremely difficult job to do when they are called to farm properties, particularly on small roads in country towns; they may not be familiar with the geography of the area. Honourable members listening to my private member's statement may be familiar with the experience of calling a taxi or other service and the operator says, "Where is it? What is State is it in? Is that a town or a suburb? Is it in Sydney?" As we get smarter technology, we face a new set of problems.
These days many shires have every house number painted on every street and every road. I am a strong advocate of that initiative. I must confess that I opposed it when it was introduced into my shire because I thought it was unnecessary. But there is nothing like the light of day to make one realise how sensible it is, particularly when we hear of incidents such as the one I have referred to. I ask the Government to note the tragedy of the Flagg family and try to improve the 000 service. We should bear in mind that when people call the emergency number they are usually under enormous stress. In most cases, they have not experienced similar circumstances. They may have difficulty describing exactly where they are and they may not know exactly what time it is because their minds are not focused on all the details.
As members of Parliament, both Government and Opposition, we have to understand the psychology of stress and trauma and adapt our initiatives. If we go down the road of using remote technology in our services—and there is no doubt it is here to stay—we must make sure that it is sufficiently refined so that it adequately services our communities and achieves its objective of getting our paramedics and ambulances to the sites so that they can carry out their professional duties. They are not meant to be pathfinders. They are not expected to know every house in every district. I ask that this sad story of the Flagg family be used to improve the system in the future and, as Mr Flagg said, save lives.
Mr GAUDRY (Newcastle—Parliamentary Secretary) [6.06 p.m.]: I thank the honourable member for Lachlan for his thoughtful presentation. It is obviously a tragic situation in which a family member calls for assistance and, unfortunately, the assistance arrives after a loved partner has died. I will bring this matter to the attention of the Minister. I know that a lot of work has been done to co-ordinate the operations and response of emergency services, including the utilisation of GPS and other technologies. I am sure that the Minister will consider this issue seriously.