Opposition blasts Victorian government over emergency call wait time

The Opposition has blasted the Victorian government over the emergency call wait time in the state. A screenshot showed that 11 Victorians were on hold for over one minute. Victorian Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier said it’s not good enough and that no Victorian should be waiting outside the target time for their emergency call to be answered. “It's unacceptable at a time when we're coming into this busy Christmas period when an emergency response ... need to be answered in a timely fashion,” Ms Crozier said. It comes as disgruntled emergency call takers in Victoria are blowing the whistle on wait times and staffing levels as part of protected industrial action. Call takers are calling for more staff, better training, and a pay increase for trainees, which currently sits at $48,000 a year.