- Government cutting funding for Lifeline, hospital jobs and maybe even the Flying Doctors
- The Government should start by cutting waste, like spin doctors and advisers before it attacks public services
- Government is putting itself first, rather than the interests of Tasmanians
Earlier this year the Government announced it would try and save money without affecting frontline services. But it looks like the Government’s priorities are to save itself and abandon some of the services that Tasmanians rely on, breaking its promise to Tasmanians to save frontline services from budget cuts.
Last week we found out that the Government was withdrawing support for Lifeline’s victims of crime counselling services in the south and north-west of the State.
Yesterday the Tasmanian Liberals revealed that as many as 80 jobs would be cut at the Royal Hobart Hospital, increasing the workload on the remaining staff and putting an already stretched health system under even more pressure.
Today we see that the Government now has the Royal Flying Doctor Service in its sights. In 2007-08, the Flying Doctors helped 1,654 patients.
Targetting essential services, such as the Flying Doctors, to make savings is absolute madness. Relocating the service to Hobart would also be a mistake. Launceston is the more effective base, because it minimises travel times to the Bass Strait Islands and for transferring patients to Melbourne.
These three examples show that this Government is incapable of making the right decisions. The place to start making savings is in the army of ministerial advisers and spin doctors.
It shows that this Government has warped priorities when it would rather cut funding to Lifeline or the Royal Flying Doctors rather than non-essential services.
Before the Government starts hacking away at vital community services, we need to know if the savings measures in other areas are being made. For example, what cuts have the Premier and Treasurer made to their own budgets, or are they expecting Tasmanians to bear the brunt of the pain while maintaining their own empires?
I have long been concerned that this Government was so focused on short-term politics and looking after itself rather than the long-term interests of Tasmanians.
