Budget Estimates: Labor con-job on our LGH

Posted by Michael on Jul 1, 2010 in News | 2 comments

During my election campaign, I promised to stand up for our hospital.  So, last week in Budget Estimates hearings, I took the opportunity to call in on Committee A and substituted myself in – so I could put some important questions to the health minister regarding our LGH.  She wasn’t very impressed that I did so, and made a performance of herself in answering… even trivialising the matter with disparaging comments that the questions were only about getting ‘some media’!  I was underwhelmed.

Bottom line is that you can’t trust Labor with our LGH – just more broken promises and this in the minister’s own home town!  How I wish we could have leadership at this level instead of captivity to the department.

So, at the minister’s excellent suggestion, below is what I peddled to a the hungry beast that afternoon.  Also, I have copied the uncorrected proof Hansard at the bottom of this article.  Comments welcome.

The Minister for Health, Michelle O’Byrne today confirmed her lack of commitment to the people of Bass and her inability to deliver on the promises made regarding the LGH.

During the state election campaign, Labor promised $130 million over five years to the Launceston General Hospital. Had this commitment been kept, it would have enabled the Hospital to employ approximately 260 more clinical staff.

Today the Minister argued that the Greens have compromised their ability to deliver on their election promises and then attempted to maintain that they might still fulfill its promise on staffing – but over a longer period of time and remarkably, also for less money.

The 2010-11 budget shows just $5 million has been allocated to the LGH for staffing and only $61 million has been delivered over the forward estimates – less than half of the promised $130 million.

Only Labor would have the audacity to claim that providing less than half of the funding promised is a promise kept.

Mr FERGUSON – Minister, we have four of the five members for Bass at the table, and we are all concerned about the Launceston General Hospital. In the election, good news for anybody who cares about the LGH was the Government’s commitment – your commitment – to $130 million. You committed those funds over five years, and your Government said that the funding would enable 260 extra staff for the LGH. The Premier said, in his announcement of that funding, and I quote, ‘to enable the LGH to recruit around 150 more nurses, 54 more allied health professionals and eight more medical specialists over the next two years’. Yet on page 5.4 of budget paper 2 it says that you will provide that over time. The two years is dropped – the funding is not there. In fact, less than half of the funding is there, so what is going on? Why was this promise made if you had no intention of delivering on it?

Ms O’BYRNE – We also promised that we were intending to have majority government -

Mr FERGUSON – Are you blaming the Greens?

Ms O’BYRNE – No, no. We have met 75 per cent of our commitments, and we aim to meet 100 per cent of our commitments over the life of this Government. What we have managed to deliver to the LGH -

Mr FERGUSON – $5 million.

Ms O’BYRNE – in two parts, that by the fourth year – this is $61 million over four years and $130 million over 5 years -

Mr FERGUSON – Is there going to be $70 million in the last year?

Ms O’BYRNE – By the fourth year we will be in a position to employ the 260 staff that we have identified. The area that these staff are going to work in, is still under construction. Not an awful lot of them will be knocking walls down and building walls – I think we might have some demarcation issues if we asked them to do that. Staffing levels at the LGH in 2008-09 have been increased with an extra $3 million – part year – to support increased staffing for allied health and rehabilitation services. That has now risen to $4.5 million annually. Also we would like to meet our full commitment for $130 million. What I have, and what I am honest about, is that we have $61 million over four years to enable us to recruit those doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and ancillary staff. It is $5 million for 2010-11, $10 million for 2011-12, $20 million for 2012-13 and the full annual amount of $26 million will be in place by 2013-14.

Mr FERGUSON – I can read the Budget.

Ms O’BYRNE – The progressively increased staffing levels will ensure the hospital facilities being constructed under the Australian Government and State infrastructure program at a cost of $96.8 million have increased staff as they become operational from late 2010, commencing with the acute medicine unit and to address the significant increase in emergency department activity. Our commitment will provide, by 2013-14, around 121 nursing – you might want these figures – 54 allied health professionals, eight medical specialists and approximately 50 support staff, the support staff being cleaning, technical, orderly -

Mr FERGUSON – I have all those numbers; you have just rephrased it.

Ms O’BYRNE – Yes, I realise you have the numbers but you did ask the question so I am giving you the answer.

Mr FERGUSON – But that is not the question I asked.

Ms O’BYRNE – This is in addition to around 38 nursing positions, created in December 2009 for the intensive care unit, the high dependency unit and the northern cardiac unit and these positions are currently being recruited. The northern cardiac unit commenced operation on 26 April and is a significant injection in the staffing and services at the Launceston General Hospital.

Mr BOOTH – So, is it sufficient money to run the services?

Ms O’BYRNE – At this stage we think that it will be in that it gradually brings staff on, but I am happy to work with John Kirwan and the Northern Area Health Service if there are other challenges within that time. We are looking at a gradual employment of staff. In the past, it has been quite difficult to recruit so if you wanted to recruit this amount of people you would start early. Recruitment does not seem to be as much as a challenge for us now, so we can recruit as we need them. That is something that we will monitor. If there becomes an issue with recruitment then we will work with the Northern Area Health Service to deal with it. This is what we think is a sustainable recruitment plan, and we will deliver the $26 million in the final year. A rough general benchmark for each staff position is $100 000, but it clearly alters according to positions.

Mr BOOTH – So, given the obvious change in commitment from prior to the election to now, what areas in the LGH will not be covered as quickly as they would have been under your original promise?

Ms O’BYRNE – What I am saying is that we probably would have had staff on before we needed them under the original announcement, but now we will be bringing them on line as we need them. If it turns out that the opening of the areas is such that we would need to review that then we will.

Mr FERGUSON – Could you see why a member of the public would be very disenchanted with the pre-election statement and the budget papers?

Ms O’BYRNE – Well I am not going to get into what you think somebody might like or dislike about it. I am here to be examined on the budget estimates about what we are funding. I am happy to address the issue between what we had hoped to give and what we have funded; I think I have done that.

Mr FERGUSON – You have taken me for a ride, haven’t you?

Ms O’BYRNE – Oh, Mr Ferguson, I know that you want some media but please do not be ridiculous.

Mr FERGUSON – To meet your $130 million commitment are you forecasting that in 2014-15 there will be something like $70 million?

Ms O’BYRNE – It may be that we are in a position, if it is needed, to bring additional money in the earlier years rather than the out years of the Budget. We have said that we funded 75 per cent of our commitments and we aim to fund the whole 100 per cent over the life of the Government. If there is a need and an opportunity to bring additional staff on within those facilities, if they open then, of course, we will be looking at that.

Mr FERGUSON – Of course, this is half – not even three out of four.

Ms O’BYRNE – Well, it is $26 million by the fourth year, which will fund the staff that we need for the fourth year.