Legislative Council supports triple zero bill

The legislation will now return to the Legislative Assembly where the amendments will be considered. 

In his second reading speech Minister for Police Anthony Carbines said the changes will enable a new entity, Triple Zero Victoria (TSV), ‘to support emergency services organisations to respond to community need and manage call taking and dispatch in times of peak demand’. 
 
A new Bill Brief from the the Parliamentary Library outlines the background to the proposed changes including the founding and structure of the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), the current body responsible for managing triple zero calls, recent reviews of the service, calls for change and stakeholder responses to the bill. 
 
The paper notes that: ‘While concerns had previously been raised about ESTA's funding structure, staffing levels, governance model and ability to meet call-taking and dispatching benchmarks, criticisms intensified over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. With repeated delays in dispatching ambulances to critically ill Victorians and subsequent reviews by ESTA and the Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM), the government was prompted to instigate changes to the structure and governance of ESTA.’ 

The October 5 debate on the bill in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council debate from 19 October are available to read in Hansard.