Health Minister Guy Barnett was forced on the defence over his flagship policy to end ramping during Tasmania's election debate of health issues that took place on Tuesday evening.
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The debate, which followed a similar showdown between Jeremy Rockliff and Rebecca White organised just hours earlier, included Mr Barnett, Greens leader Dr Rosalie Woodruff, and Labor health spokesperson Anita Dow.
All three election candidates espoused their parties' health policies, but a key moment came after Dr Woodruff challenged Mr Barnett over the Liberal policy to 'ban ramping'.
Responding from a question from paramedic and union organiser Cam Johnson about whether the candidates would support reconvening the parliamentary ramping inquiry that was disrupted by the election, Mr Barnett said that was a "matter for parliament".
He then detailed the Liberals' policy to 'ban ramping' by limiting transfer of care delays to 30 minutes.
"At this stage, we are the only party that has committed to end ramping, we have given that commitment," Mr Barnett said.
The government has worked with the Health and Community Services Union to deliver a protocol that imposes a maximum 60-minute time limit on transferring patients from ambulances into emergency departments, he said.
This 60-minute protocol would be shortened to 45 minutes, and then 30 minutes by next year under the plan.
"That is effectively the end of ramping in Tasmania," Mr Barnett said.
That triggered an outburst from Dr Woodruff, who chaired the recent parliamentary inquiry into ramping and who previously said the Liberal policy to 'ban ramping' is a 'dishonest hoax'.
"I am really uncomfortable with what I consider to be a deeply dishonest answer from Guy Barnett there," she said.
She went on to claim that definition of ramping under the Australian College of Emergency Medicine was an ambulance waiting for over 15 minutes.
"That is not a definition that you just make up and wish away, that is the definition," she said.
Mr Barnett said: "That's not the definition. My Department of Health has delivered you a submission and it says 30 minutes, that's best practice across Australia."
Dr Woodruff said: "You can't just move the goalposts and change reality in that way."
She said research had shown that patients ramped for longer than 17 minutes suffered adverse health outcomes.
"We have to be doing everything we can to make sure that people get into a hospital bed, they get diagnosed, treatment, pain relief, and care that they cannot get on the ambulance ramp.
"Thirty minutes is not good enough, we should obviously be aiming for people to get the treatment they need immediately."
