Documents show Daniel Andrews rejected triple-0 funding request

Daniel Andrews’ government rejected a funding request from Victoria’s embattled triple-zero service in the middle of the pandemic, documents have revealed.

The insight comes after board minutes revealed ESTA missed out on more than a million dollars of funding it requested from the 2020-21 State Budget.

Minutes confirm the service “did not receive the growth funding it had applied for, but that this was not going to be likely…”.

ESTA requested $53.1m but ended up from the budget but ended up receiving $51.9m.

Liberal emergency services spokesman, Brad Battin, said the funding denial showed how the state government has mismanaged Triple-Zero.

“Daniel Andrews knew of Triple-Zero’s funding issues since 2015 and did nothing. Even in the middle of a pandemic he refused to fund it properly.”

“Now, after eight years of mismanagement, 33 people have died and Victorians have lost confidence that help will be there in an emergency.”

A state government spokesperson said “substantial funding” was provided to ESTA throughout the pandemic and the request growth funding was later granted.

“The Government has provided substantial funding to ESTA both before and during the pandemic to help with demand, providing extra resources whenever they were required - alongside a further $333 million to add more than 400 new staff to boost call taking and dispatch capacity,” they said.

“This means the historical funding issues identified by the IGEM have been addressed, supporting ESTA to recruit and retain staff and improve capability.

“Long-term reforms in 2023 including bringing ESTA closer to government will address its financial sustainability going forward.

“We’ve accepted all of the IGEM’s recommendations and we’re continuing the long-term work to transform our triple zero system in line with our response to the recommendations from the Ashton review.”

The government said a $4.6 million growth funding requested by ESTA was granted in full as part of a $46 million funding boost in the Victorian Budget 2021-22.

It comes a week after Opposition Leader Matthew Guy called on Mr Andrews to “front up” over the “human tragedy” in the state’s triple-zero emergency system.

A damning report by the Inspector-General Emergency Management Inspector-General Tony Pearce found the speed that the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) was answering calls at had “fallen below community and government expectations”.

Mr Pearce identified 40 “potential adverse events” from December 2020 to May 2022 where seriously ill and injured patients had to wait for an ambulance while there triple-zero calls were delayed.

From those incidents, 33 people died.

The Victorian government has also been criticised for how the report was released, which was done on a Saturday during the start of the AFL final series.

Mr Guy called the timing of the release “horrendously insensitive”.

“It‘s horrendously insensitive by government, it puts PR first over human tragedy,” he said.

Premier Andrews’ office has been contacted for comment.