A former senior executive at Ambulance Victoria has made a stunning call for the struggling emergency service to be placed into administration, declaring that the organization has reached its worst state in history.
Mick Stephenson, the former Executive Director of Clinical Operations, told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry that only by dissolving the agency’s leadership and installing an external administrator could urgent reforms be delivered. He highlighted a “toxic culture,” failure to meet key response targets, and mismanagement of public funds as signs of systemic breakdown.
“Ambulance Victoria has completely lost its way,” Stephenson said during a closed-door session of the Legislative Council’s Legal and Social Issues Committee, transcripts of which were released this week. “It is a significant failure of leadership, and I don’t believe anyone currently within the organization is capable of implementing the large-scale change that’s needed.”
Data shows only 65.6% of Code 1 emergencies—those involving life-threatening conditions—are being responded to within the 15-minute target. That figure is well below the 85% benchmark and has been linked to at least two recent deaths, including an elderly man who died after a fall and a mother of two who perished during a tense police-paramedic standoff.
Stephenson pointed to 2014, the last time Ambulance Victoria was placed under administration, as a period of effective reform and high performance. “That was the best I ever saw the service function,” he said.
He left the service in 2023 following unproven allegations of inappropriate conduct but continues to be a vocal critic of its decline.
Paul Holman, former State Health Commander and Emergency Management Director, echoed Stephenson’s concerns. “It’s a textbook example of a toxic workplace,” he said. “It’s about power, position, and political protection—not patient care.”
Current CEO Jordan Emery acknowledged Stephenson’s contribution but said the agency is moving forward under new leadership. “We are committed to providing the best care to all Victorians,” Emery stated.
Stephenson was clear in assigning responsibility: “This is not about government underfunding. It’s about the organisation’s inability to manage what it has been resourced to do.”
The inquiry continues, with mounting pressure on Ambulance Victoria to confront deep-rooted issues and rebuild public trust in one of the state’s most critical services.
