On Saturday 16 May 2026, my son dislocated his knee playing basketball at the Riddles Creek Leisure Centre 40 minutes from Melbourne.

After waiting for an ambulance for almost two hours, we were told that help was not coming and we would need to get him to Melbourne ourselves. Unfortunately, by that stage his adrenalin had well and truly worn off, and he had been screaming for an extended period.

It was a distressing scene for the adults in the room as well as some of his team mates who were still in attendance.

With the incredible help of trainers from the Riddles Creek football club, we were able to get access to a stretcher and transfer him to the car for a long and painful drive into Melbourne. I was later told by a paramedic that Riddles Creek was considered 'rural' and there weren't enough crews to support call outs. A dislocation was considered low on the priority list.

This is the second time in three years that my son has endured the pain of a dislocated knee in the Macedon Ranges, and an ambulance has not been available to render assistance. 

Had we had access to strong pain relief, we could have acted quickly, controlled the pain and sought specialist help. This is where the green whistle comes in.

Despite Penthrox 'green whistles' being marketed for ease of administration for sports injuries and trauma, access is tightly controlled with authorisation only provided to paramedics and doctors. But if paramedics are stretched in regional and rural areas, and doctors' surgeries are not equipped for serious injuries, we need to consider alternatives despite the risks.

It's why I'm petitioning for the Department of Health and Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas, to work with community sports clubs to develop a framework that allows green whistles for pain relief to be stored on-site at stadiums and football clubs around the State to ensure children can access pain relief. Whether that's training for club personnel, approval with doctors via FaceTime, or a local medical surgery on call - there has to be a solution.

Riddles Creek is in the Macedon electorate, which is the Health Minister electorate. Most towns in the Macedon Ranges are accessible to Melbourne in an hour or under, so if we're not well serviced in this area, it's safe to assume that no other regional or rural area is either.

There's a perception in the community that if you call 000 help will come. That isn't the lived experience of communities outside the Melbourne metropolitan area. It's time to accept that the health service is not what it once was and we need alternative solutions to support injured children outside Melbourne.

Thanks for your support.