Hospital beds close while RHH chief lives in luxury accommodation at taxpayer expense - Wednesday 21 December, 2011

It is outrageous that the Acting CEO of the RHH is bedding down in luxury hotel accommodation in Hobart up to four nights a week, while hospital beds are being closed.

DHHS has long term leased accommodation for locums that should be utilized by Ms Holden instead of paying market prices in luxury hotels.

Michelle O’Byrne’s must immediately fully detail the cost to tax payers of this exorbitant waste of money.

Based on the standard rate mentioned in today’s Mercury* the total cost could be nearly $50,000 pa which is well above the average Tasmanian salary.

It goes to show how warped Ms O’Byrne’s priorities are that this sort of wastage could be allowed to occur while hospital beds are closed and elective surgery cancelled.

This is taxpayers money and it should be spent on front line services and jobs, not keeping one of three chiefs at the Royal in luxury accommodation.

*Mercury pg 1 article 21/12/11

 

Absolute chaos at LGH with Ward 4D closure - Wednesday 21 December, 2011

While Lara Giddings is distracted by disunity in her own party, the Launceston General Hospital has been thrown into absolute chaos.

The hospital has literally run out of beds, at the same time as the Labor-Green Government is closing a 32 bed ward.

There are currently 18 patients waiting in the Emergency Department for admission, 12 patients waiting in Emergency overflow beds, and four patients waiting for transfer in 4D – the ward that’s closing at 8am tomorrow morning.

Now, the 16 beds in the new short-stay Acute Medical Unit (AMU), scheduled to open on 2 January, is to be opened early to meet demand.

The trouble is the Unit has not been fully commissioned and has no working telephones!

Clearly, it’s ludicrous to have a hospital ward without functioning telephones.

Lara Giddings’ slash and burn leadership has left the hospital with less beds and no strategies to cope with demand.

The Premier’s own Health Plan shows demand for inpatient beds at the LGH will increase by 50% from 2004-05 to 2021-22, with most of the demand existing by 2015.

Yet the Premier, with the support of the Health Minister, has cut 24 surgical beds and 32 medical beds from the LGH without care for the crisis caused.

Contrary to the Premier and Health Minister’s continual false claims, there is an alternative to these cruel cuts – the almost $200 million in non-frontline savings identified by the Liberals.

 

Fox Taskforce funds should be directed into frontline services - Monday 19 December, 2011

Figures showing a massive decline in the number of calls to the Fox Hotline reinforce the Liberals’ calls to axe the Fox Taskforce and direct the savings to frontline services.
These figures, along with comments in The Mercury today, reinforce what we have been saying all along – that the $3 million spent annually on the Fox Taskforce could, and should, be better directed.
Our Alternative Budget showed how a Hodgman Liberal Government would abolish the Fox Taskforce and establish instead a new specialized biosecurity division.
This would see savings totaling $6 million re-directed into much needed frontline services.
And we have said all along that should further evidence of a fox population in Tasmania emerge, then additional resources would be provided as appropriate.
I urge the Green-Labor Government to adopt this sensible and balanced policy, along with other savings measures identified in our Alternative Budget.

 

Greens support for Labor not guaranteed - McKim uses leadership instability to push for more power - Saturday 17 December, 2011

The Green-Labor Government has never delivered the stability Tasmanians were promised, however comments by Nick McKim in today’s Australian demonstrate the Labor leadership battle has the Government on the edge of a cliff hanging by its finger nails.
Mr McKim’s has put a gun to the head of Government by saying his deal is only with Giddings and if she were toppled a new deal would have to be negotiated, “and no one should take the Greens' (support) for granted"*
It is clear that Mr McKim is prepared to take advantage of the leadership instability within Labor to forward his own political ambitions and instatiable thirst for power.
It has been reported Mr McKim is already hinting at wanting to be Deputy Premier in an O’Byrne Government, and who knows how many Green Ministers we could end up with in return for propping up an O’Byrne Government.
Tasmanians are tired of both Labor and Green politicians putting self-interest ahead of acting in the best interest of Tasmanians.
Only a majority Liberal Government can deliver the stability Tasmanians want, with a clear direction and focus on the issues that matter such as the economy, jobs and cost of living.
*The Weekend Australian 17/12/12

 

Giddings admission there is an alternative to Government's brutal health cuts - Saturday 17 December, 2011

Reports* that Lara Giddings was yesterday ready to announce a ‘softening’ on health budget cuts to save her fragile leadership is a clear admission that the Liberals have been right all along in saying there is an alternative, these cruel cuts didn’t have to happen.
We have identified $200 million in alternative savings which could and should be made across government without impacting on frontline jobs and services in vital areas such as health.
It seem only when her job is on the line, that Ms Giddings agrees.
It is a disgrace that sick Tasmanians have been left waiting in pain unable to get elective surgery or even a hospital bed, and nurses have been losing their jobs when there is an alternative way to make savings, and Giddings knows it.
Ms Giddings has shown that like the rest of the Green-Labor Government she is obsessed with self-interest and has put the needs of Tasmanians last.
*The Examiner pg 5. 17/12/11

 

Only one way to fix health crisis - Wednesday 14 December, 2011

Today hospitals are trying to shore up staffing by using volunteer workers and ward assistants in the face of nurse bans.
Yesterday the Health Minister said she would need to go cap in hand to Treasury to beg for more funds.
The only way to fix the health crisis is to stop the cuts and find alternative savings in non-essential areas across government.
If the cuts are stopped, nurses will call off bans, and frontline health workers can get on with the job of caring for Tasmanians in need.
What is it going to take to get the Premier and Treasurer, Lara Giddings, to realize that cuts to frontline health services are wrong?
Even her own colleagues are slowly beginning to recognize that.

 

Contaminated sites a serious public health issue - Tuesday 13 December, 2011

The release of the Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network’s position paper on contaminated sites is a welcome development on an important public health issue in Tasmania and the Tasmanian Liberals will closely examine the contents of the paper.
It’s pleasing to see a non-government, community based group taking the initiative to outline their ideas and suggestions as to what potential measures could be taken to tackle issues relating to contamination here in Tasmania.
I look forward to reviewing the position paper from the Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network in greater detail.

 

Here we go again – same promise, different Health Minister - Friday 9 December, 2011

Three years ago Lara Giddings and former Secretary David Roberts announced a leaner structure for DHHS “to increase its focus on patients and clients”*

Today exactly the same promise is being been repeated.

Instead of concentrating on shuffling the deck chairs in the officer’s lounge, the Government should reopen hospital beds, restart elective surgery and stop sacking nurses.

*Govt Media release - 5 March 2008, ‘Leaner structure for DHHS’

 

Where's the money, Minister? - Friday 9 December, 2011

In Tasmanian Irrigation Estimates yesterday, the Primary Industries Minister admitted that he has doubts about the success of rolling-out the all of the state’s planned irrigation schemes.
Bryan Greens’ frank admission that “the funds allocated at the moment would not probably be enough to commit to all 13 schemes on the initial drawing board” is further evidence of Labor and the Greens’ failure to manage money.
These schemes were meant to provide certainty to rural communities and farmers across the state, but the Minister delivered anything but certainty yesterday.
Has the Minister known all along that the initial $80 million committed by the State Government wouldn’t be enough to successfully roll out the 13 schemes?
And if it isn’t, which schemes will miss out?
The Liberals strongly support the development of irrigation infrastructure, and the benefits this will bring to rural communities.
But the Labor-Green Government needs to ensure Tasmanians that prudent financial management of irrigation projects will be the number one priority so that the required funds are available to progress and commission the schemes as soon as possible.
Tasmanian farmers and our regional communities cannot afford a single dollar of taxpayer funds wasted as has happened time and time again as a result of Green-Labor financial mismanagement.

 

Too little too late on health cuts - Friday 9 December, 2011

The Health Minister, Michelle O’Byrne, is no hero.
Revelations that she is working behind the scenes to reduce the extent of the health cuts next financial year is too little too late.
The Tasmanian health system is being gutted today by decisions she has made.
She failed to convince her Cabinet colleagues that cuts to frontline health would have critical impacts on patients, and our health workforce into the future.
She failed to successfully argue that our hospitals are a core and essential service of government and should be protected.
She failed to protect frontline services when other Ministers managed to hold on to non-essentials such as the fox taskforce, internet on buses and the State Architect.
Instead, she has stood up and publicly proclaimed that frontline cuts are necessary.
The wind back of these drastic cuts needs to happen now, not next year.
Our health system is on its knees now; the Minister must not stand by and watch it fall over altogether.

 

Green-Labor arrogance on farmer appointment go-slow - Friday 9 December, 2011

During Tasmanian Irrigation Estimates yesterday, the Primary Industries Minister admitted that it could be at least another six months before a Tasmanian Irrigation director with hands-on farming experience is appointed.
Despite Legislation being passed in May specifically stating that a Director with farming experience would be appointed, farmers are still waiting.
We know that Tasmanian Irrigation and the Green-Labor Government resisted this position strongly, but at the end of the day, an amendment was put into the legislation to include a director with farming experience.
It is the absolute height of Labor-Green arrogance that it will most likely be a full 12 months following the passing of legislation before such a position is filled.
Given the Minister admitted yesterday that the funds to develop irrigation projects are drying up, input from a director with farming experience and resourcefulness is likely to be sorely needed.

 

O'Byrne sharpening the knife - Monday 5 December, 2011

Reported comments in today’s Examiner newspaper by senior union and ALP figures highlight the deep resentment within the Labor Party over Premier Lara Giddings’ savage cuts to frontline services.
They also suggest that the left-wing David O’Byrne is ramping up his campaign to oust Ms Giddings, and to take over as yet another unelected Labor Premier.
All the while, Tasmanians continue to suffer from an incompetent government that has its priorities horribly wrong.
If you can’t govern yourself, how can you possibly govern the state?

Key quotes:-
“We want a Labor government and what we've got at the moment is not that.''  – Kevin Harkins, ALP State Vice President and head of Unions Tasmania
``If the Premier is not willing to choose another path then I would like to see someone else leading this government in a different direction.
“It's well and good for Labor to say we've abandoned them, but I think they've very much abandoned us.'' – Tom Lynch, CPSU State Secretary

 

Government puts pedometers for public servants ahead of patients - Sunday 4 December, 2011

Many Tasmanians will be wondering how the Government can justify spending over one million dollars on things like pedometers and a pilates studio for public servants against a backdrop of hospital bed closures and a freeze on elective surgery.

The Healthy@Work program for public servants is just more proof the Green-Labor Government has its priorities all wrong.

The $395,000 spent by the Government on pedometer challenges alone equates to 79 elective surgery procedures, or the salary of 10 teacher aides, or 9 trainee police officers.

 

O'Byrne incompetence will see health overtime soar - Saturday 3 December, 2011

New RTI figures reveal in 2010-11a staggering $64.5 million was spent by DHHS on overtime, on call payments and outsourced staff such as locums and agency nurses.*
The size of this bill clearly points to there already not being enough frontline health staff to meet patient demand – and these figures relate to a period before Michelle O'Byrne bludgeoned the health budget.
Because of the cruel cuts to frontline health jobs it is very clear, despite what Michelle O'Byrne says, that millions more will need to be spent on overtime to cover the gaps.
Cutting frontline jobs is false economy and if the Minister doesn't realise that she is even more incompetent than I thought.

» read more

 

Workplace safety deferral - Friday 2 December, 2011

I welcome last night's 11-3 vote by the Legislative Council to defer implementation of the new workplace safety regime for an additional year, until January 2013.
This amendment was the same as that moved by the Liberals in the Lower House recently.
The Liberals believe very strongly in workplace safety, but it is important that business has time to adjust to the new regime – and the less than one month proposed by the Government in their Bill was clearly inadequate.
Tasmania now sensibly joins Western Australia, Victoria, and South Australia who have also delayed implementation of the new national workplace safety regime, in order to give an appropriate transition time.
I urge the Government to accept the verdict of the Legislative Council on this bill, and commit to adopting the revised start date.