Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to join with the member for Ryan and his comments in relation to the Mumbai shootings. One of my constituents, David Coker, was injured in that event, and I think that the Coker family must be enormously relieved to know that David has not been badly injured. But none of us can understand why this murderous behaviour goes on or what it achieves. All Australians—indeed, all of the world—should reject this kind of action.

I am calling on the Queensland Department of Health to hold itself accountable when it comes to utilising its share of an expected $11 billion in funding to be offered by the Rudd-Swan government this weekend. Queensland Health is essentially a failed system that needs a major lifeline, but it must come with strings attached, in my view. We need to make sure that the money is going to turn around the bad management practices and make a noticeable difference in the processes of our health system, especially now in this time of economic instability. We need conditions attached to this deal that the states are about to undertake with the government.

The deterioration of the hospital system, particularly over the past 12 months in Townsville, needs to be turned around and turned around quickly. We are in an extraordinary situation in Townsville: we have a significant level 6 hospital servicing a rapidly growing population and it has literally been unable to keep up with demand. The Queensland Minister for Health appears to have a limited amount of interest in and commitment to the hospital by not meeting with the federal Minister for Health and Ageing and pushing for these great and urgent additional funds before this. It is quite disturbing: he has just sat back and waited for the federal government to step in and do his job for him. At the end of the day, hospitals are fully administered and run by the state—everybody knows this. Maybe it is time the Commonwealth took over the reins from an incompetent bureaucracy. Indeed, it is a Soviet style bureaucracy run by the Labor government in Brisbane, which has been complicit in the continued downturn of our health system.

The state government has promised 78 extra beds by 2012 at the Townsville Hospital, but just eight have been opened. Another 30 are supposed to be open by peak season next year—that is, in winter. The deadline for the final 40 is in 2011. We need those 78 beds now. It is just a shame that there has been such a delay put on these much needed beds. I am certainly saying tonight in the parliament on behalf of the people of Townsville that this funding needs to be used wisely. It is a desperate situation and it needs urgent attention.

In the time remaining to me, I would like to express my serious concerns about the possible effects of the ABC Learning closures on defence families in Townsville, especially those families who are already dealing with the stress and upheaval of having a member serving on operational deployment. Men and women of the ADF make an extraordinary contribution and sacrifice to the defence of our nation. It is astounding that not one of the defence ABC Learning centres has been confirmed to remain open in 2009. It is absolutely vital that the government have a coherent strategy to assist and support those defence families that may face closure of their centres in the new year.

In Townsville, ABC Annandale, ABC Riverside Gardens, ABC Condon Central, ABC Kirwan East, ABC Townsville, ABC West End and ABC Wulguru are still under threat of closure according to a list released by receivers earlier this week. It is important to appreciate the exceptional circumstances of Defence Force families. The Minister for Education must take immediate action to protect and reassure those now dealing with the prospect of centre closures when in some cases one or even both parents may be on deployment. The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, Maxine McKew, need to understand the particular imperative that defence families have for competent and functioning child care. I thank the men and women of the Australian Defence Force for the service that they give to our nation and I believe that both sides of the parliament will support them in this particular time of need.

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