In Tasmania during 2025-26, callers to emergency services reported nearly 17,000 instances where no ambulances were immediately available, averaging about 46 times per day. This represents a 30% increase from the previous year, coinciding with a 6% rise in total Triple Zero calls. The situation led to significant delays for patients like Rosie Maddock, who waited three hours for an ambulance after falling at home. Health Minister Bridget Archer attributes the trend to high demand but reassures that all calls are triaged based on clinical need.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
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In short:
Tasmanians who had rung Triple Zero were told there were no available ambulances nearly 17,000 times in 2025-26, new figures have revealed — around 46 times per day.
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figures → ring → day
The figures, obtained by Labor, show the number of "delayed activations" has risen by 30 per cent in the most recent year
Health Minister Bridget Archer says all Triple Zero calls are triaged according to clinical need, and that the increase was due to high demand.
When Rosie Maddock fell over in the bathroom while at a pathology appointment, the 75-year-old did not expect to be waiting too long for medical help.
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old → obtain → help
Mrs Maddock said the wait for an ambulance ended up being three hours long.
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wait → say → ambulance
WARNING: This story contains an image of an injury some may find distressing.
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some → contain → injury
"So I just lay there on the cold floor, cement floor, waiting for the ambulance to come," she told the ABC, calling it "quite painful".
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she → lie → it
The early May incident occurred in Glenorchy, 15 minutes from the Royal Hobart Hospital.
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incident → occur → Hospital
It was serious enough that Mrs Maddock ended up staying in hospital for three weeks, dealing with blood clots and bruising in her leg.
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Maddock → end → leg
"My life wasn't in danger, but I don't think it helped my situation at all," she said.
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she → think → situation
Calling Triple Zero to find out there is no ambulance immediately available is becoming more and more common.
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Calling → call → Zero
In fact, it happened nearly 17,000 times in 2025-26, or around 46 times per day.
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it → happen → day
Health department figures obtained by the Labor state opposition show the number of delayed activations (counted as taking three minutes or longer for a vehicle to be dispatched), rose 30 per cent compared to the year before.
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vehicle → obtain → year
It coincides with a 6 per cent increase in the total number of Triple Zero calls — reaching 115,735 in 2025-26.
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It → coincide → 2025
Labor's Health spokesperson Sarah Lovell called the figures "deeply concerning".
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Lovell → call → figures
"Tasmanians should have confidence that there is an ambulance available for them when they need it,"she said.
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they → have → it,"she
'Life or death situations' affected, paramedics union says
Health and Community Services Union state secretary Robbie Moore said the situation was "simply unacceptable".
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situation → affect → ?
"It's exactly what paramedic comms staff who answer the Triple Zero calls are telling us — they're saying they're unable to dispatch ambulances to people that need them," he said.
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he → answer → them
"We see ambulances unavailable for people in a life-or-death situation — that happens regularly.
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that → see → situation
He said the unavailability of ambulances was due to bed block in hospitals.
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unavailability → say → hospitals
"The solutions are there — we can invest in our allied health professionals who avoid people coming to hospital and get you out of hospital sooner, we invest in more paramedics and better ambulance services," Mr Moore said.
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Moore → invest → paramedics
Health Minister Bridget Archer pointed to the increased demand when asked about the increase in delayed dispatches.
"I want to be really clear with Tasmanians — if you call an ambulance and you need an ambulance, you will get an ambulance," she said.
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she → point → ambulance
She also reiterated that all Triple Zero calls were triaged according to clinical need.
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calls → reiterate → need
"Whilst I empathise with someone who may be waiting for that ambulance to arrive, that ambulance may well be attending to somebody who is having a medical episode of a higher acuity.
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who → empathise → acuity
Numbers indicate 'ramping ban' ineffectual
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Numbers → indicate → ban
In the 2024 state election campaign, the Liberals promised to "ban ambulance ramping" by instituting a protocol where patients were transferred from ambulances to the emergency department within a set time.
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patients → promise → time
This was initially set at 60 minutes, to be lowered over time.
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This → set → time
Ms Lovell said the figures were proof that the "ramping ban" had not worked.
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ban → say → ?
The figures obtained by Labor also showed no significant improvement in the median ambulance response time in any region over the last two years.
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figures → obtain → years
Mr Moore said the government had "effectively withdrawn" from it, because it had been unable to implement the next stage of the protocol where there would be a 45-minute limit.
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it → say → protocol
"We know every day here at the Royal [Hobart Hospital] they fail to get even 70 per cent of ambulances away within an hour."
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they → know → hour
Ms Archer said the government was still committed to the policy.
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government → say → policy
The "ramping ban" has faced opposition from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Foundation, which has taken the state government to the Tasmanian Industrial Commission to block its implementation.
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which → face → implementation
The Aporia