Abbey Studley sits in the passenger seat of a kitted-out SUV as her colleague, Dave O'Toole, runs through potential scenarios with the intel they have on their comms screen.
asserted
they → sit → screen
It's a little after 6pm on a Tuesday night and the Alice Springs intensive care paramedics have just begun their shift.
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paramedics → begin → shift
They've received a simple call to assist a person experiencing a medical issue, but a recent spate of violence against frontline workers in the Central Australian town means the St John Ambulance crews never know what they will face when they're called out.
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they → receive → what
Earlier this week, they invited the ABC to ride along with paramedics — and although everything is calm when they pick up their first patient, things change en route to the hospital.
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things → invite → hospital
By the time they arrive at the ambulance bay at Alice Springs Hospital, the patient has become aggressive and attacks the paramedics, punching and spitting at them as they try to provide care.
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they → arrive → care
It's the 100th attack on Alice Springs ambulance staff for 2026, according to St John data, with the majority being physical assaults.
uncertain
majority → accord → data
With just three 24-hour crews and one intensive care unit staffed by 45 paramedics, there aren't many local St John staff members who haven't experienced violence.
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who → staff → violence
Abbey calls the police and the patient is arrested and taken to the watch house.
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patient → call → house
"It makes me particularly disappointed and I'm angry that another one of my staff have been victims of violence," Abbey says.
"There's never an excuse for violence … and what we've seen tonight is another example of our staff being victims of violence for no reason."
The flow-on effects from occupational violence will mean people will be waiting longer for an ambulance.
"
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people → make → ambulance
We've now got three staff delivering statements to police currently, and as you can see behind me all three of our Alice Springs resources are currently at hospital handing over patients or providing statements to police," Abbey says.
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Abbey → get → police
Two years ago, she was brutally attacked in the line of duty.
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she → attack → duty
'I thought I was going to die'
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I → think → ?
The attack occurred shortly before midnight in October 2024, just as Abbey finished her shift, when a man pulled her from her fast-response vehicle.
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man → occur → vehicle
"I thought I was going to die," she says.
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she → think → ?
Abbey says she had time to activate a duress alarm before the perpetrator dragged her down the street by her arm.
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perpetrator → say → arm
Much of that night is a blur due to the level of violence she experienced.
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she → experience → violence
"I've psychologically blocked a lot of that out and it's hard now for me to recall exactly what transpired," Abbey says.
"
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Abbey → block → that
I think in the police report, I said I got over 20 punches to the head.
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I → think → head
I have blindness in my right eye and I have limited feeling in my left arm."
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I → have → arm
She also sustained permanent injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.
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She → sustain → injury
As a result, she spent two months in an acquired brain injury unit in Melbourne, and many more months seeking treatment to recover.
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she → spend → treatment
"I was told by a number of specialists and doctors that I would never return to this career and that made me really devastated and really sad," she says.
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she → tell → career
But 16 months later, Abbey returned to the community and the job she loves.
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she → return → community
"I feel so lucky and privileged to come to work every day and proud to wear this St John uniform and provide life-saving critical care and really high-level compassionate care to the community," she says.
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she → feel → community
No one has ever been charged with Abbey's assault.
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one → charge → assault
"I think what's tough is knowing that there's still somebody that could be in the community or in the wider community who could perpetrate that level of violence again," she says.
uncertain
she → think → violence
Following the assault on her colleagues on Tuesday, Abbey says her team will take their time to regroup and debrief.
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team → follow → time
"They'll be given time to stand down and recoup, maybe have a cup of tea or a coffee and a break and a little check-in with each other," she says.
"
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she → give → other
It's up to them whether or not they would like to keep working and that's obviously very individual.
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that → like → them
"Look, they're upset.
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they → look → ?
"
Searching for solutions
Body-worn cameras and OC spray have been floated as measures to curb violence against paramedics across the Northern Territory.
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cameras → search → Territory
Last month, Alice Springs Member for Braitling Joshua Burgoyne revealed the NT government had been discussing the two measures with St John management.
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government → reveal → management
St John NT chief executive Abigail Trewin says although body-worn cameras pose some privacy challenges, the service is talking to staff about "who and where and how we would roll something like this out".
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we → say → this
She says they will also consult with staff about OC spray, although it came with potential problems.
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it → say → problems
"We work in effectively a tin box — you're transporting a patient," she says.
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she → work → patient
It's not a lot of space, so discharging OC spray in that environment is probably not very sensible."
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discharging → discharge → environment
NT Health Minister Steve Edgington says while no paramedics have approached him requesting OC spray for protection in their workplace, the government will consider it.
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government → say → it
"If that's something that St John believes will assist them in delivering their services and protecting and providing evidence of any assaults or threatening behaviour against them again, we will work with St John to look at what their needs are," he says.
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he → believe → John
"They need to be protected.
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They → need → ?
They need to be supported.
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They → need → ?
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia