The board of Ambulance Victoria will be sacked if Labor wins this weekend’s state election, Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews says.
Mr Andrews said he did not have faith in the board because of the way it had handled bitter ambulance pay dispute, which has dragged on for more than two years.
The Napthine Government has offered paramedics a 6 per cent pay increase and a $3,000 sign-on bonus, but the union has refused to sign up.
The main sticking points have been proposed changes to rostering for country paramedics and moves to drop a subsidy paid to union delegates.
Mr Andrews said a Labor government would request that each board member tender their resignation immediately, while those that did not would be replaced.
He said he made no apologies for planning to replace the board.
“People are dying and I will not settle for that,” he said.
“I have no confidence in a board that sits by and sees ambulance response times get worse and worse and then apparently settles for trying to intimidate their workforce.”
Labor also promised a $100 million package to improve ambulance stations, and conduct a thorough review of the service in consultation with on-the-ground paramedics.
In 2011 Health Minister David Davis sacked the board because it was concerned about its operations, including failure to meet performance benchmarks.
At the time the Government also cited a 2010 auditor-general’s report that highlighted worsening response times to emergencies and poor staff morale.
On Monday Mr Davis said Labor’s threat to sack the board was “on the order of his union masters”.
“This declaration amounts to a union takeover of Ambulance Victoria,” he said.
The Coalition also revealed its plan to recruit 150 paramedics if it won this Saturday’s vote.
The Government said it would invest $92.7 million to increase ambulance resources and services around the state.
New stations would be built at Eltham, Karingal, Mernda, Mooroolbark, Ballarat West, Mansfield, Queenscliff and Indented Head.
Mr Davis said capacity to extend services in high-demand areas would also be part of the proposal.