Paramedics across the state are giving ambulance patients free rides in protest over the NSW government’s order they pay for their own Working With Children checks. Australian Paramedics Association NSW secretary Steve Pearce says the ban is a protest against the $80 fee, not the check itself. As of 9pm on Wednesday paramedics stopped collecting billing information from patients transported in ambulances. “As emergency services first-responders we are not prepared to pay for something that should be covered by employers,” Mr Pearce said. “Paramedics are really angry, they’re not going to cop this.” He said 16,000 NSW Police and NSW Fire & Rescue staff had already been granted an exemption from the $80 fee. Paramedics are required to have their Working With Children checks by the end of the month, but Mr Pearce said he expects up to 60 per cent of officers to refuse.
