Ambulance Victoria is under fire over a secret funeral held while Victorians lived under strict pandemic lockdown conditions. Details of the funeral of a former paramedic attended by Ambulance Victoria staff have only now been made public as part of a parliamentary inquiry. Blame is being placed at the feet of senior managers who have already left the organisation.
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00:00While Melbournians remained under a COVID curfew in September 2021
00:06and ambulances lined up outside overburdened hospitals,
00:13three dozen Ambulance Victoria staff attended a secret funeral gathering for a former paramedic.
00:19It was not appropriate behaviour, particularly at a time when all of us in the community
00:25were working really hard together to follow the rules.
00:27At the time, Melbourne was under a Stage 4 lockdown and funerals were restricted to just 10 people.
00:34These events should not have occurred.
00:37The commemoration, out of public view at an Ambulance Victoria site in Bayswater,
00:42involved 40 staff, allegedly given the OK by then-CEO Tony Walker.
00:47There's no question they were trying to hang this event on one individual
00:50who worked in the CEO's office, basically performing an administrative function.
00:55The Ambulance Victoria Pipes and Drums Band played at the event,
00:59where ambulances with lights flashing formed a guard of honour
01:02and paramedics, agency staff and leadership attended.
01:06This was a matter that was referred to IBAC.
01:09It was subsequently referred back to AV and an investigation was undertaken.
01:15The matter has been dealt with as we deal with a lot of internal matters.
01:18I don't believe that there has been any intention to cover it up.
01:21The details of the funeral were only revealed in an anonymous submission
01:25to a parliamentary inquiry into Ambulance Victoria.
01:28If the government now have any details in relation to this that's put community at risk,
01:33that's covered up for people within the department, then that should all become public.
01:37Victoria Police referred our questions about any past or present investigation to IBAC,
01:42which doesn't comment on investigations.
01:44I'm confident that AV took appropriate action at that time
01:49in terms of an investigation and consequences for those that are involved.
01:55In accordance with our policies and procedures,
01:57there was people subject to disemory processes.
02:01What those consequences were,
02:03neither Ambulance Victoria nor the state government would say.
02:07But Ambulance Victoria has vowed to cooperate with the parliamentary inquiry,
02:11which was due to report in August.
02:13What?
02:22Let's go.
02:22Let's do it.