Labor leaves paramedic graduates without a path to the frontline

Thousands of Victorians are waiting longer for ambulances, yet qualified graduate paramedics are being left without jobs due to a lack of positions at Ambulance Victoria.

The Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said it was unacceptable that while regional communities continue to experience ambulance shortages and delayed response times, many newly qualified paramedics are being forced interstate or out of the profession altogether.

“Victoria is facing ongoing pressure across our ambulance system, yet we are not employing enough of the very people who have trained to answer the call,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Young Victorians are spending years studying, undertaking placements and accumulating significant debt, only to discover there are simply not enough graduate positions available in their home state.”

Recent evidence presented to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Ambulance Victoria found there is a “glut of graduate paramedics with too few graduate positions at Ambulance Victoria available to meet the supply.”

Ambulance Victoria’s own annual reports show graduate recruitment has fallen significantly from record levels in recent years. In 2021-22, Ambulance Victoria recruited 647 graduate paramedics as part of a record intake of 716 new paramedics. By 2023-24, that figure had fallen to just 134 graduate paramedics.

Ms Cleeland said the situation made little sense when communities across regional Victoria continue to report concerns about ambulance availability and workforce shortages.

“Every graduate paramedic represents a highly trained healthcare professional who wants to serve Victorian communities,” she said.

“Instead of strengthening our frontline workforce, Labor is allowing talented graduates to leave Victoria or abandon the profession entirely.”

“Regional communities deserve confidence that when they call Triple Zero, an ambulance will be available. That starts with ensuring we are training, recruiting and retaining enough paramedics.”

Ms Cleeland said the Victorian Government must provide greater transparency around workforce planning and commit to increasing graduate intake opportunities.

“We cannot continue training paramedics only to leave them sitting on the sidelines while demand for ambulance services continues to grow,” Ms Cleeland said.