Latest news with #MountGambier
ABC News
6 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Ambulances queued outside Mount Gambier Hospital 'not ramping', SA premier says
South Australia's salaried doctors and paramedics unions say reports of potential "ramping" and staff shortages at the Mount Gambier Hospital need to be taken seriously. In the past week, photos of up to seven ambulances waiting outside the hospital, in the state's largest regional city, have been posted to social media. The photos ranged in time from 2024 to as recently as Wednesday and Thursday of last week. When asked about the images, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas told ABC South East SA his advice from the Limestone Coast Local Health Network was that the incidents were not ramping. He said patients were waiting for treatment on stretchers inside the hospital building and not in the back of ambulances. "Ramping is when someone arrives at a hospital in the back of an ambulance and then isn't able to get out of the ambulance into the hospital in the appropriate time frame." The premier added some of the ambulances in the images were transferring patients between health facilities and were not undertaking an emergency response. "But that's the advice that I've received and I've got no reason to discount it." Mr Malinauskas campaigned heavily on addressing the state's ramping crisis in the lead-up to Labor's 2022 state election win. Ambulance Employees Association SA general secretary Paul Ekkelboom said the premier was arguing semantics over an exact definition of ramping. "Either way, it ties up the ambulance and it makes it unavailable to respond to the community. "Our members have had multiple reports that both forms occur, whether that be internal or external." Mr Malinauskas denied differentiating between patients waiting inside or outside the emergency department was arguing the semantics of ramping. Prior to the 2022 election, Labor MPs raised concerns in state parliament about "internal ramping", including in 2019 by Member for Wright Blair Boyer regarding the Lyell McEwen Hospital in Adelaide. In 2021, Light MP Tony Piccolo talked about the prospect of "internal ramping" at the Gawler Health Service. Mr Ekkelboom said ambulances not being able to leave the hospital was "genuinely scary". "The last thing we [want to] see, and it's happened before, is that there's no ambulances to respond to people in the community," he said. "You take a cardiac arrest — seconds means the difference between potentially life-sustaining treatment. "If we have ambulances ramped for an hour, we can't respond to anyone." The South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) completed a site inspection of Mount Gambier Hospital's emergency department in February and told ABC News ramping was "common" and raised concerns about staffing levels. Speaking in response to Mr Malinauskas's comments, chief industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland said staffing remained an issue. "What we are looking for is medical workforce reviews of the ED there and the other clear request from members is more senior staffing in that ED to be able to assist with the patient presentations." Construction on a $24 million upgrade to the Mount Gambier Hospital is ongoing, which will increase the number of beds and expand the emergency department. It will also include upgrades to a dedicated mental health unit.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Free-to-air AFL and cricket could disappear from parts of SA and NSW
Regional residents in parts of South Australia and New South Wales could lose access to Seven Network channels on their TVs from next month, after negotiations with WIN Network broke down. WIN announced it would cease broadcasting 7, 7mate, and 7two into the South Australian markets of Mount Gambier, in the south-east, and Loxton in the Riverland, as well as Griffith in New South Wales' Riverina from July 1. It would mean that audiences in those broadcast areas would be unable to watch free-to-air sports, including football and test cricket, except through streaming services. WIN Network said the decision followed Seven West Media's decision not to renew its broadcast agreement. "While we are disappointed with Seven West Media's decision, we respect their right to pursue their commercial strategies," chief executive Andrew Lancaster said. WIN Network said no jobs were expected to be lost, with local operations and staff to remain in Mount Gambier, Berri and Griffith. Riverland Adelaide Crows supporter group vice-president Peter Kennedy said he "couldn't believe" the announcement. "It just seems crazy to me." He said, while some members of the club had used streaming services to watch games, older fans would struggle. Mr Kennedy said he knew of people who didn't know what 7plus was or how to use it and others with no wi-fi connections. "It's going to be challenging for them, to say the least," he said. The Mayor of Griffith City Council, Doug Curran, said access to free-to-air sporting games could inspire people to take up the sport, particularly young Australians. "You only have to go to some of our sporting ovals on the weekend and see all the youth and even some of the adults that play sport," he said. "A lot of that is on the back of seeing some of the superstars playing on TV. Mr Curran said he was also concerned that paying for a subscription to access sporting games on streaming services like Kayo would put more pressure on family budgets. "It puts more pressure on, and free-to-air seems to continue to let us down moving forward," Mr Curran said. A spokesperson for Seven said the network was "disappointed" it had not reached an agreement with WIN. "The communities living in the Riverland and Griffith are incredibly important to Seven and, pleasingly, they will continue to have access to all of our content, including the AFL and cricket, via our live and free streaming platform, 7plus," they said. The network says it is happy to continue negotiations with WIN to broadcast into those markets. Mr Kennedy said if an agreement could not be reached, there would be pushback from the community. "I just hope that they have had all the conversations they can and should have, that they've both been reasonable, and they're both trying to find a solution, rather than just shutting it down," he said. Seven West Media recently acquired a number of regional licences from Southern Cross Austereo, including Tasmania, Darwin, Spencer Gulf, Broken Hill, Mt Isa and remote, central and eastern Australia. The Seven spokesperson said the deal was a sign of the network's "ongoing commitment to regional markets", with the acquisition expected to be completed by June 30.
ABC News
12-06-2025
- ABC News
Lamb writhes while starving in Mount Gambier skate park
A lamb locked in a skate park in Mount Gambier by council staff writhes as it apparently almost starves to death. Supplied: Julia Dangerfield
ABC News
12-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Lamb almost starves to death after being locked in Mount Gambier skate park
A newborn lamb is recovering from almost starving to death after being locked in a Mount Gambier skate park by a council employee for two days. A statement from the City of Mount Gambier council said the lamb and two other larger lambs were found wandering close to traffic on Jubilee Highway East on Sunday and then locked inside the nearby Dimjalla skate park by a ranger that night. In a post on Facebook that she described as an open letter to the council, wildlife rescuer Julia Dangerfield said she noticed the male lamb in distress about 11am on Tuesday. She called the council to let them know the lamb, which still had its umbilical cord attached, was "hypothermic, non-responsive, and unable to move". A ranger came and let Ms Dangerfield look after the lamb, which she gave milk to and warmed up overnight at her house on Tuesday. She then passed it onto the Orphan Lamb Rescue Farm — an organisation that looks after orphaned and abandoned lambs in nearby Glencoe. In a video Ms Dangerfield posted online, the lamb can be seen writhing around on the ground. Warning: The following video contains images of the lamb in distress. Orphan Lamb Rescue Farm president and founder, Rebecca Alexander, said the lamb was less than a week old and appeared to be starving because it was not given any milk. She said it was likely having a fit because of a low blood-sugar level. "They tend to go downhill very quickly when they don't get regular milk at his age. "We're hoping that's all it is and that it hasn't done any internal damage." The temperature dipped down to 4 degrees Celsius overnight in Mount Gambier on Sunday night and 5C on Monday night. Ms Alexander said the lamb had started drinking milk from a bottle and standing up. "He looks really well," she said. "The wildlife carer's done a fantastic job." Unlike Ms Dangerfield, Ms Alexander was not critical of the council ranger's actions. "I guess it's something that the council doesn't deal with very often, and so they probably don't have any type of facilities to take the sheep in," Ms Alexander said. "I'm assuming they thought locking it in a skate park kept them safe and off the road. "I think the main thing that could have been done is hay and water put out immediately for them and then the little one be taken in because he was one that definitely needed milk." Ms Dangerfield called on the council to investigate the incident. The council said the welfare of animals was a priority "and we remain committed to acting swiftly when animals are in need". "We're pleased to report that all three lambs are currently safe and recovering," it said. "Council extends its sincere thanks to the community members who supported the animals during this time." The two larger lambs have been taken to a farm. A fourth lamb was found near the Mount Gambier showgrounds, also in the city's east, on Sunday. But Ms Alexander did not believe it was connected with the other three, since it was used to being fed by humans. "He's very, very friendly," she said. "He's used to the bottle. The dog doesn't scare him. So obviously he's been hand-raised already." Lambs raised by the Orphan Lamb Rescue Farm are only adopted out to people who plan to keep them as pets. None of the rescued lambs had ear tags.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Mount Gambier's queer art trail celebrates regional creators during Pride Month
Chelsea Dynan has only been in Mount Gambier a short time, but reconnecting with art has helped her find her place in her new home. To start Pride Month, a queer art trail has been established to promote LGBTQIA+ visibility in common community spaces. Dynan has entered art competitions and exhibitions before, including winning the Packer Prize at the Penola Art Show. But putting her work in the first local queer art trail as a bisexual woman has been one of her most vulnerable experiences. "When I was back home, I didn't feel safe to be myself. "Having this opportunity and showcasing that we can put ourselves out there and be seen and heard and feel safe in doing so, that's been the biggest impact for me." Dynan's art captured a group she felt a strong connection with — medical students who had just moved from home to Mount Gambier to study. "I wanted to celebrate other people as well as being able to showcase myself in some form of anonymity, so that it's not me in the image," she said. "I get to celebrate women and other people who are living in this township." The queer art trail includes work from LGBTQIA+ artists throughout the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. The exhibition is on display in public places throughout SA's second-largest city, including the Riddoch Art Gallery, shopping centres and cafes. Artworks are on display from people aged nine to 50. Kit Cooper helped organise the event and also entered their own pyrography work, something they started after being diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). "These particular pieces were created from a point of calm and zen, just a chance to centre myself amidst the chaos. "I have four children and obviously a lot of organisation going on, so my art is my safe space for myself." Cooper said having the exhibition in busy places in Mount Gambier was important. "I'm incredibly proud of what has been pulled together," they said. "The artists have come together, the community is taking notice and appreciating queer artists. "It's been wonderful seeing it be so successful, more successful than I admit I even estimated that it might." Patrick Smith has been a long-term advocate for queer representation in Mount Gambier and is working on a set of artworks for a full solo exhibition in his home town. He said visibility for the local LGBTQIA+ community was important to create lasting change. "The incidental appearance of queer iconography, queer motifs, and themes is also to show that you are going to bump into a queer person regardless of the space you're going to be in," he said. Smith said his art focused on subverting the normalised way of looking at the human body. "You can then get a very homogeneous and very staid look on the world," he said. "But to be able to bring in different ways, different angles, to interpret and understand the world around us, it will only make it better and richer."
