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9 January 2026
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Technology: Best P1 response times in five years as new Ambulance HQ opens, South Australia
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South Australia has recorded its best Priority 1 ambulance response times in more than five years, as the Malinauskas Labor Government opened the state’s landmark new $134 million ambulance headquarters and delivers its election commitment of recruiting 350 extra ambos. The Malinauskas Government’s record investment in the ambulance service is helping save lives and ensuring thousands more South Australians in lights and sirens emergencies are receiving an ambulance on time. In November, ambulances reached 78.7 percent of Priority 1 cases in the target timeframe of 8 minutes, compared to only 47.1 percent in January 2022. It’s the best result since August 2020.
The state has also recorded its best Priority 2 response times in seven months.
Ambulances reached 64.3 percent of Priority 2 cases in the target 16-minute timeframe in November, compared to only 36.2 percent in January 2022. It’s the best result since April.
It means an extra 3 115 South Australians in lights and sirens emergencies received an ambulance on time last month under the Malinauskas Government, compared to January 2022 under the Liberal Government, as the Government’s record investment in the ambulance service delivers results.
A centrepiece of that investment – a brand-new $134 million hi-tech ambulance headquarters to replace the outdated Greenhill Road site – officially opened on 14 December 2025.
It follows the opening of the brand-new co-located Adelaide Ambulance Station last month.
The city-fringe ambulance precinct, on Richmond Road at Mile End South, delivers a key election commitment.
The Malinauskas Government has now also delivered its 36th new ambulance and has recruited 350 new paramedics, ambulance officers, emergency medical dispatchers and clinical leaders – another milestone election commitment.
The new SAAS Precinct is the new home for Critical Operational Services, the Emergency Operations Centre, and the State Health Coordination Centre (SHCC) and includes the co-located Adelaide Station.
It offers superior building and technical infrastructure, designed to ensure those providing critical services, like Triple Zero (000) call-taking, ambulance resource dispatch and aeromedical retrieval coordination, can do so in all conditions.
Built with state-of-the-art systems, materials and technology, the Precinct can operate in island-mode should essential services like power and water be temporarily unavailable.
The Precinct’s dynamic physical layout can cater for large multi-agency incident management, while also providing spaces for clinicians conducting confidential telehealth consultations with patients.
The Critical Operational Services directorate is the nerve centre of SAAS, comprising highly-skilled critical infrastructure technical teams, rostering, support staff and the Emergency Operations Centre. The EOC includes Triple Zero (000) call takers, dispatchers, clinicians conducting secondary triage telehealth, clinical support teams and the aeromedical retrieval coordination team.
On average during the 2024-25 financial year, SAAS received more than 900 Triple Zero (000) calls each day, compared with more than 780 Triple Zero (000) calls per day in 2021-22.
Also located on the Precinct site is the Adelaide Station, which has been operational since Monday 10 November 2025. The new station features purpose-built training and meeting spaces, a kitchen, rest areas, office accommodation and garaging for nine ambulances and two light fleet.
Since the last election, 350 additional SAAS operational staff have now been recruited under Labor.
The final 30 paramedics took to South Australia’s roads in November 2025 and were deployed to Strathalbyn, Goolwa, Two Wells and Port Pirie.
Acting Minister for Health and Wellbeing Blair Boyer said the new centre would play a critical role in addressing these system-wide pressures. “The new State Health Coordination Centre will give us 24/7 access to real-time information to best respond to blockages in the system and direct resources where they are most needed, helping to improve patient flow and reduce the bed-block which contributes to ramping,” he said.
Advanced Nursing Director and State Health Coordination Centre Operations Lead Natalie Hincksman said the centre provides an unprecedented level of visibility across the care journey. “It allows us to have 24/7 eyes on patient flow, from the community response, to our emergency departments, all the way through to subacute facilities and patient discharge,” she said. “This comprehensive data allows hospital staff and the SA Ambulance Service to deploy resources where and when they are needed.”
Source: Government of South Australia
The state has also recorded its best Priority 2 response times in seven months.
Ambulances reached 64.3 percent of Priority 2 cases in the target 16-minute timeframe in November, compared to only 36.2 percent in January 2022. It’s the best result since April.
It means an extra 3 115 South Australians in lights and sirens emergencies received an ambulance on time last month under the Malinauskas Government, compared to January 2022 under the Liberal Government, as the Government’s record investment in the ambulance service delivers results.
A centrepiece of that investment – a brand-new $134 million hi-tech ambulance headquarters to replace the outdated Greenhill Road site – officially opened on 14 December 2025.
It follows the opening of the brand-new co-located Adelaide Ambulance Station last month.
The city-fringe ambulance precinct, on Richmond Road at Mile End South, delivers a key election commitment.
The Malinauskas Government has now also delivered its 36th new ambulance and has recruited 350 new paramedics, ambulance officers, emergency medical dispatchers and clinical leaders – another milestone election commitment.
The new SAAS Precinct is the new home for Critical Operational Services, the Emergency Operations Centre, and the State Health Coordination Centre (SHCC) and includes the co-located Adelaide Station.
It offers superior building and technical infrastructure, designed to ensure those providing critical services, like Triple Zero (000) call-taking, ambulance resource dispatch and aeromedical retrieval coordination, can do so in all conditions.
Built with state-of-the-art systems, materials and technology, the Precinct can operate in island-mode should essential services like power and water be temporarily unavailable.
The Precinct’s dynamic physical layout can cater for large multi-agency incident management, while also providing spaces for clinicians conducting confidential telehealth consultations with patients.
The Critical Operational Services directorate is the nerve centre of SAAS, comprising highly-skilled critical infrastructure technical teams, rostering, support staff and the Emergency Operations Centre. The EOC includes Triple Zero (000) call takers, dispatchers, clinicians conducting secondary triage telehealth, clinical support teams and the aeromedical retrieval coordination team.
On average during the 2024-25 financial year, SAAS received more than 900 Triple Zero (000) calls each day, compared with more than 780 Triple Zero (000) calls per day in 2021-22.
Also located on the Precinct site is the Adelaide Station, which has been operational since Monday 10 November 2025. The new station features purpose-built training and meeting spaces, a kitchen, rest areas, office accommodation and garaging for nine ambulances and two light fleet.
Since the last election, 350 additional SAAS operational staff have now been recruited under Labor.
The final 30 paramedics took to South Australia’s roads in November 2025 and were deployed to Strathalbyn, Goolwa, Two Wells and Port Pirie.
Acting Minister for Health and Wellbeing Blair Boyer said the new centre would play a critical role in addressing these system-wide pressures. “The new State Health Coordination Centre will give us 24/7 access to real-time information to best respond to blockages in the system and direct resources where they are most needed, helping to improve patient flow and reduce the bed-block which contributes to ramping,” he said.
Advanced Nursing Director and State Health Coordination Centre Operations Lead Natalie Hincksman said the centre provides an unprecedented level of visibility across the care journey. “It allows us to have 24/7 eyes on patient flow, from the community response, to our emergency departments, all the way through to subacute facilities and patient discharge,” she said. “This comprehensive data allows hospital staff and the SA Ambulance Service to deploy resources where and when they are needed.”
Source: Government of South Australia