Ambulance services save lives, but ambulance membership fees act as a barrier to people accessing emergency health services.
The Greens have a plan to simplify the system and save lives.
Our system is unnecessarily complicated and confusing, but there is an easy fix. The Greens would scrap the ambulance membership system, adopting a similar system to those already operating in Queensland and Tasmania.
The Greens would provide the additional funds to Ambulance Victoria, the equivalent of its income from annual membership fees and income from up-front payments for ambulance services. This would ensure that Ambulance Victoria could maintain its high standard of care and cover, but the service would be free to all Victorians who need it. Ambulances are a public service and as such should be funded primarily from the government.
A universal scheme that provides ambulance services free of charge would remove the uncertainty many have over ambulance cover. It would create a fairer, more equitable system. And it would ensure that all Victorians have ready access to life-saving care when they need it.