Resolving a long-running pay dispute with paramedics must be the focus of Ambulance Victoria's leadership after the sudden resignation of its chief executive, the minister in charge demands.
Chief executive Jane Miller resigned on Tuesday effective immediately after 18 months in the role.
The move comes weeks after the paramedic union passed a vote of no confidence in the executive board and called for the minister to appoint new management.
The state's paramedics have been engaged in industrial action for months over negotiations on a new enterprise agreement, with pay and shift lengths emerging as a major sticking point.
Ambulance Service Minister Mary-Anne Thomas thanked Ms Miller for her work, and said she looked forward to negotiations over the agreement ending soon because they had "gone on for too long".
In late July, Ms Thomas refused to publicly back Ms Miller and expressed concerns about the "untenable situation" surrounding pay talks.
"It's not a matter of whether I had confidence or not, Ms Miller has chosen to resign her role as CEO at Ambulance Victoria," Ms Thomas told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.
"Right now the focus of leadership at Ambulance Victoria has to be on resolving the enterprise agreement."
In a statement, Ambulance Victoria said Ms Miller would pursue a new opportunity in the state's health sector but did not reveal what that was.
Board chair Shelly Park said Ms Miller was an enthusiastic leader who joined the organisation in January 2023 at a time when the service was emerging from serious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Jane has seen the organisation through some significant challenges, including leading the post-pandemic recovery and helping chart a course for ongoing cultural reform and improvement,” Ms Park said.
Former emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp will be interim chief executive for six months during the search for Ms Miller's replacement.
New leadership was "desperately needed" to return the service to what it was meant to be, Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said.
"The work involved in fixing the service will be massive, but this is the first step in the right direction," he said.
Mr Hill welcomed the appointment of Mr Crisp and said there was no time to waste in resolving the industrial dispute.
It's been a tumultuous month for Ambulance Victoria, with six workers stood down and under investigation over an alleged $3.5 million embezzling scam.
At the time, Ambulance Managers and Professionals Association Victorian director Scott Crawford accused senior management of leaking information about the investigation.
Response times also worsened in the most recent quarterly reporting, with almost two-thirds (64.2 per cent) of urgent cases receiving a response within 15 minutes, down more than three per cent.
Ms Thomas confirmed the service had been placed on alert on Monday night because of pressure on the system.
Ms Miller's predecessor Tony Walker stepped down at the end of 2022 while in remission for cancer treatment.
He had previously denied he was pressured to resign after the service was beset by issues during the pandemic.
