Ambulance Victoria admits to hosting secret funeral gathering for 40 people during stage four COVID restrictions
Victoria's paramedics union has blamed Ambulance Victoria management for covering up a funeral gathering it hosted in September 2021 during stage four COVID-19 restrictions.
The union has pushed back on suggestions any of its members flouted strict lockdown rules on 30 September 2021 when an honour guard was held for a colleague who had died.
The existence of the event has come to light more than three-and-a-half years after it happened because of an anonymous submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the state's ambulance services.
The submission claims Ambulance Victoria (AV) hosted a funeral attended by 40 people during Melbourne's stage four lockdowns in 2021, constituting a hypocritical breach of restrictions which applied to all Victorians.
At the time, Victorians were under stay-at-home curfews, private gatherings weren't allowed and only 10 people could attend a funeral.
The submission states senior AV managers organised a secret gathering to farewell a paramedic who had died, with approval from the CEO.
Grieving the death of loved ones was universally
The submission states the event was attended by paramedics, managers and the organisations's pipes and drums band.
An anonymous submission to a parliamentary inquiry states many paramedics felt very uncomfortable about the funeral gathering.
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ABC News: Michael Barnett
)
Made in February this year, the submission says the managers who attended the funeral were the same people responsible for upholding COVID restrictions throughout the pandemic.
Paramedics were 'distressed' about the breach
On-shift paramedics, many of whom objected to the funeral event, were instructed to rearrange ambulances for the event and "hand over the keys" to their ambulances to allow the beacons to be turned on for the hearse, the submission claims.
"Paramedics did not feel comfortable with other paramedics entering their branches due to the fear of catching COVID," the submission states.
"Many staff were distressed by the event, their wellbeing was significantly impacted, and morale plummeted."
The event location was chosen "to avoid public eyes", and was booked as a professional development event in employees' calendars, it says.
"Eyewitnesses state approximately 40 [people] were in attendance," the submission states.
Morale among Ambulance Victoria staff "plummeted" as a result of the COVID-19 breach, the anonymous submission states.
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AAP: Joe Castro
)
It also claims the AV communications centre placed a warning on an ambulance vehicle to ensure it wouldn't be dispatched to a patient while travelling from the west.
Afterwards, the matter was escalated internally and referred to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), which substantiated the complaint with emails about the event.
IBAC then handed the matter back to AV to take action, the submission said.
The ambulance union wrote to the Minister for Ambulance Services, Gabrielle Williams, in August 2023 about the funeral.
"To this day, there has been no outcome for the complaint," the submission states.
"There are witnesses and several other paramedics who continue to wait for accountability for the funeral event during stage four restrictions and an explanation of the governance involved in this complaint."
The ABC has requested clarification of what measures have been taken by AV in relation to the September 2021 breach, with Ambulance Victoria deferring to the "inquiry process".
Ambulance Victoria secret event took place
AV's interim chief executive officer Andrew Crisp confirmed on Thursday the gathering took place.
"The gathering contravened Victorian COVID-19 restrictions and was not in line with AV's values or our commitment to public safety and community trust," he said.
"We continue to engage with the Legal and Social Issues Committee Inquiry with a genuine desire to improve our workplace and the services we provide."
A Victorian government spokesperson said on Thursday the September 2021 event was "inappropriate" and was investigated by Ambulance Victoria at the time.
"Individual submissions to the Ambulance Victoria Parliamentary Inquiry are a matter for the Inquiry," the spokesperson said.
Upper house MP for the Victorian Liberals, Georgie Crozier, who is on the parliamentary committee handling the ambulance services inquiry, called for the government to release a report into its findings.
"It's really disappointing and shocking that this was allowed to go on given what thousands and thousands of Victorians had to endure at the time," she said.
Former Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, pictured in August 2020, giving one of many COVID-19 press conferences.
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ABC News: Daniel Fermer
)
"They weren't allowed to go and see loved ones, they weren't allowed to farewell them at funerals.
"[Former premier] Daniel Andrews was so tough on Victorians...he was berating people for watching a sunset for goodness sake, yet there was one rule for some and another for others."
The inquiry into Victoria's ambulance services was commissioned by state parliament in August last year seeking submissions on "the core issues impacting the management and functions of Ambulance Victoria", according the
The scope of the inquiry includes the daily functioning of the organisation such as call-taking and ambulance dispatching, as well as governance, workplace culture and allegations of fraud and misconduct.
Union claims paramedics thought event was in line with rules
The Victorian Ambulance Union has also confirmed the funeral gathering took place to commemorate a paramedic who had died, but said AV paramedics did not attend the ceremony.
The event in question, the union said, was after the funeral ceremony when "the hearse drove past an ambulance branch where AV staff had congregated and formed an honour guard".
"Paramedics who took part in the event firmly believed that it was approved by senior management and in line with the rules they were required to follow."
If the event was breaching COVID-19 rules then fault sits with management who approved it, the union said.
Union secretary Danny Hill said the most senior levels of AV management attended, including the COVID commander and Chief Paramedic Officer who were heavily involved in enforcing COVID rules.
"I have no doubt that AV were trying to do the right thing by the paramedic, their family and the workforce.
"There is no question that the organisation tried to over this up after the fact by trying to scapegoat an individual who performed an administrative role in organising some of the logistics for the event."
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