00:00Ambulances lined up and waiting in Shepparton.
00:06The union reported some were ramped for eight hours yesterday.
00:10The opposition says it's part of a bigger problem.
00:13When patients go to a hospital they need to be seen.
00:16The department and health services are currently in discussions finalising budgets for the
00:22upcoming financial year.
00:24We now know through whistleblowers that the Allen Labor government is requiring health
00:29services to make savage cuts and they've only given them three weeks to do it.
00:34This will mean job losses, it will mean service cuts right across the board.
00:39No decisions have been taken in terms of final budgets but let me say this, there is an additional
00:45$1.8 billion going into the system in this financial year.
00:50The ABC has seen an email from Ambulance Victoria's CEO advising staff that the increasing
00:57demand and growing costs of healthcare delivery is putting enormous pressure on health budgets.
01:05It says while its budget has not been cut, its costs are too high and tough decisions
01:12will have to be made.
01:13The ambulance union has told me it's concerned that any back of house cuts could have a flow
01:18on effect for frontline workers.
01:21Any potential impacts are being hotly debated.
01:24The government is forcing these cuts on our small rural and regional hospitals, that will
01:29force amalgamations.
01:30No, no absolutely not.
01:34The minister wasn't so emphatic when asked if any jobs would be cut, instead pointing
01:40to frontline vacancies.
01:42Right now, right across the state we have more vacancies for healthcare workers than
01:47we have people to fill them.
01:49It comes as the state government looks to finalise a new pay deal with the state's nurses.
01:54They'll meet mid-week to vote on an offer of a 28.4% pay rise over four years.
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