The Allan Labor Government is backing more emergency care for Victorians, when and where they need it.

Minister Shing today welcomed 53 new paramedics who have joined Ambulance Victoria’s ranks.

The group is the first intake of new paramedics for 2026/27 and will hit the road from 17 August.

The graduates commenced their four-week induction to Ambulance Victoria today.

The training covers areas such as clinical education, driving, manual handling and occupational violence.

The course builds on the knowledge and experience gained during their three-year university degree.

They’ll then begin their on-road training in August – in a boost to branches right across metro and regional Victoria.

13 graduate paramedics will be placed across Melbourne, including Tarneit, Cobblebank, Hadfield, Reservoir, Rowville, Brighton, Dandenong, Kew and Somerville.

A further 35 graduate paramedics and five qualified paramedics will be in regional Victoria, including Wonthaggi, Cowes, Ballarat, Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill.

The new recruits will strengthen ambulance services as Ambulance Victoria continues to experience high demand.

Between January and March this year, paramedics responded to nearly 95,000 Code 1 cases.

That’s more than 1,000 lights and sirens cases every single day.

Victoria’s paramedics are world-class and it is only Labor who have their backs.

This includes investing more than $2 billion in ambulance services, increasing the on-road workforce by more than 50 per cent, and building or upgrading more than 51 ambulance branches.

In the last year alone, Labor recruited 294 more graduate paramedics.

Unlike the One Nation Liberal Coalition who are promising $40 billion in cuts – that means cuts to paramedics.

Last time they were in government, they went to war with Victoria’s paramedics – labelling them militant thugs.

Make no mistake, if given the chance, they’ll do it again.