Queensland Ambulance Service Field Paramedic Vehicle Blessing

Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council, Mayor, Councillor Robert Poipoi and CEO Mrs Dalassa Yorkston PSM; representatives of the Queensland Ambulance Service, including Officer-In-Charge, Mr Adam Marston; Field Officer, Aunty Deidre Whap ASM and Field Paramedic, Bamaga Station, Ms Emma Williams; Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service staff; Father Eseli and the AMEIC Dance Troupe; representatives of Bamaga Enterprises and Northern Peninsula Area State College; welcome all.

I acknowledge the Original Custodians of the Northern Peninsula Area, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

One of the promises I made to the people of our State when I was sworn in as Governor, almost five years ago, was that I would strive to be a governor for all Queensland and travel as widely as possible to meet people where they live.

It’s a promise that has brought home to me just how large this State is and how challenging it can be to reach remote communities like those of this area.

It’s a challenge that medical services here face every day and, at the outset, I commend and thank the doctors, nurses and paramedics who work in this region, not only for their compassion and care but for the resourcefulness and quick thinking that are such an essential part of providing life-saving support for patients in a difficult, isolated setting.

In my former career as a doctor, I have seen firsthand the challenges of providing emergency treatment and care in the remote areas of our state – where distance, limited resources, and time itself can weigh heavily on outcomes.

That is why the blessing of this new Field Paramedic Vehicle today is so important.

Its entry into service marks an important step in the plan first adopted by Queensland Ambulance Service three years ago to ensure that all Queenslanders have equitable access to quality health care, irrespective of long distances, the harsh environment and the constant possibility of impassable roads.

This vehicle will join the fleet of Health-based Ambulances now supporting local communities and providing improved health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities throughout the Cape.

It’s a wonderful initiative and sits beside the Queensland Government plan, announced in April, to introduce a new role for experienced paramedics in remote parts of Queensland.

When it is fully rolled out, this nation-leading initiative will make a vital contribution to both primary and emergency care in areas like this because, when they’re not responding to emergencies, those skilled paramedics will be working collaboratively with doctors, nurses and health workers to deliver care in centres like the Bamaga Hospital.

I may no longer be a practising doctor, but I remain passionate about the wellbeing of all Queenslanders, and the new Paramedic Remote Hospitals model, combined with state-of-the art Field Paramedic Vehicles like this one, will not only give the Bamaga hospital greater flexibility in responding to local needs, it will make a significant contribution to the overall health of the communities of the Northern Peninsula.

Graeme and I are delighted that, before we leave Bamaga later this afternoon, Mayor Poi Poi is leading us on a driving tour of the five communities of the Northern Peninsula Area Council⁴ so that we can meet as many residents as possible.

We are very much looking forward to that and, in advance of our departure, extend our sincere thanks to the Mayor and Councillors and to everyone who lives in this special part of Queensland for making us feel so welcome.

Thank you.