Victoria has some of the best and highest skilled paramedics in the world and today the Allan Labor Government is celebrating them.
Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas visited the Knox Ambulance Branch in Wantirna to mark 'Thank a Paramedic Day' - an opportunity for everyone in the community to show gratitude to Victoria's hardworking ambulance workforce and to recognise the vital work they do, every single day.
This includes local paramedics Aimee Dwyer and Terri Hayden who on 24 November last year saved the life and of six-month-old Elara Sivakumar, who had an allergic reaction to egg while at home - providing world-class care to her as she was transported to hospital.
The Labor Government will always back Victoria's ambulance workforce - investing more than $2 billion dollars to increase the on-road workforce by more than 50 per cent, deliver 41 new or upgraded ambulance stations and establish a new Centre for Paramedicine in partnership with Victoria University.
Paramedics are also getting the training and skills they need to deliver increasingly specialised levels of care helping to train Australia's first Paramedic Practitioners and more MICA paramedics.
Victorian paramedics are now some of the highest paid in Australia, with an almost 17 per cent pay rise delivered as part of a new deal with the Labor Government.
This year's Victorian Budget 2025/26 made a range of critical investments right across the health system to get paramedics back on the road sooner.
An $84.2 million investment will continue to support their work - including 15 dual paramedic ambulance crews, four peak-period units and four 24-hour ambulance services in rural and regional Victoria.
A further $58.4 million will help emergency departments see patients sooner - increasing access to short stay units for patients requiring short-term treatment, observation and assessment of patients in emergency departments.
Victoria's paramedics are among the best in the world and the Labor Government will always be on their side.
As stated by Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas
"We'll always back our paramedics and the extraordinary work they do to keep each and every one of us healthy and safe."
"Our paramedics have never been busier - and we're backing them in with more funding, training and support so they can keep providing world-class care in every corner of Victoria."
As stated by Member for Bayswater Jackson Taylor
"Every day across Victoria, thousands of brave and highly skilled paramedics go to work to make sure we get the care we need when we need it most - thank you for everything you do."
