SPRINGBORG’S ARROGANCE THREATENS HOSPITAL SHUT-DOWN

Media Release

OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2014

Shadow Health Minister, Jo-Ann Miller, says Queenslanders should be shocked by the arrogant attitude of the Health Minister towards genuine concerns of hospital doctors about his government’s WorkChoices-style employment contracts.

“It has been doctors themselves who first described the contracts being forced on them as a form of the discredited WorkChoices regime of the former Howard Government,” Mrs Miller said.

“Mr Springborg is still trying to dismiss their concerns as just the usual to-and-fro of industrial negotiations."

“Mr Springborg is content to see doctors walk out and take jobs interstate or overseas or go into private practice and suggests they can be easily replaced. But if doctors walk out, we have no hospital system. It’s that simple."

“His arrogant comments ignore the fact that specialist doctors now working in our hospitals play a huge role in training young doctors."

“Mr Springborg needs to explain who does the training if doctors walk out."

“If they leave the public hospital system who will run our emergency departments, cardiac wards, maternity wards and every other ward in our hospitals?”

Mrs Miller said Mr Springborg did not care that his government’s take-it-or-leave it attitude threatened the closure of the public hospital system.

“But that’s not surprising from a Health Minister who sacks nurses; cuts frontline services; plans to sell of one-third of our biggest hospital, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; wants to privatise all hospital services; takes credit for hospital projects started by the former state Labor Government; and fails to acknowledge contributions to improved hospital performance from initiatives of the former federal Labor Government."

“Indeed it may be he is quite happy to shut down public hospitals given the LNP Government’s plans to sell off every health service they can to private operators who will put profits before patients,” she said."

Mrs Miller said Mr Springborg should also explain why he is not pursuing the Abbott Government for the federal health funds he claimed the former Labor Government cut from Queensland.

“Last year Mr Springborg could not shut up about the $103 million he claimed was stripped from Queensland’s health system,” she said.

“But now we see his antics exposed as a shallow political stunt and he is apparently content that only a minuscule amount has been paid to Queensland as part of $60 million spread nationwide."

“It is clear his antics were just a shallow political stunt,” she said.