The Canberra Liberals say internal documents reveal mounting pressure on the ACT Ambulance Service, with routine station closures and paramedics working long hours amid staffing shortages.

Deputy Opposition Leader Deborah Morris said a 354-page dossier obtained under Freedom of Information laws showed an ambulance service “under significant strain”.

The documents, which detail station closures since June 2025, were obtained by Ms Morris in her capacity as Shadow Minister for Police and Emergency Services.

According to Ms Morris, the material outlines routine temporary station closures, paramedics working extended overtime without meal breaks and cases where patients were not attended within clinically recommended timeframes.

Incident briefs included in the documents identify multiple cases requiring review where patients were not seen within recommended response times due to staff shortages and simultaneous station closures.

Ms Morris said frontline staff were “beyond exhausted” as they attempted to maintain station coverage across the Territory.

“It’s clear the government’s ambulance staffing crisis is taking an enormous emotional and physical toll on ambos and support staff who are doing everything they can to plug the gaps,” she said.

The documents include descriptions from staff who characterised the situation as “bleak” and “ugly”, and raised concerns about what they described as “dangerous fatigue practices”, including 16-hour shifts followed by driving home in the early hours of the morning.

Ms Morris linked the pressures to the introduction of a new 44-hour roster, saying the government had failed to properly plan for and resource the change, resulting in burnout and potential risks to patient safety.

“It is unacceptable that some Canberrans are not receiving timely access to lifesaving services because the government has failed to adequately resource our ambulance service,” she said.