Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to draw the House's attention to the need for a long-term funding commitment to the Mersey Community Hospital in north-west Tasmania. My community is sick and tired of the hospital being used as a political football. The Minister for Health and Aged Care has inflamed the situation by refusing to make any commitments about the future of the Mersey. The community accepts the need for negotiations between the state and Commonwealth governments over the scope of services to be delivered, but what the community does not accept is short-term agreements or, worse, the refusal of the minister to guarantee future funding.

The situation has been exacerbated by yesterday's Senate estimates hearings, where departmental officials also refused to guarantee anything about the Mersey's future, despite there being a reduced allocation of funding in the forward estimates. The officials stated funding had been reduced to a base level but were silent as to whether extra funds would be forthcoming to match any future service delivery. It is equally disappointing that, despite it being well known that the current contract for the Mersey expires in eight months time, the department revealed that negotiations between the state and Commonwealth did not commence until May of this year.

The actions of the Commonwealth in this area are just not good enough. What our community and staff at the Mersey are after is long-term certainty. I also have to put on the record my disappointment that four weeks after I wrote to the minister on this issue there has been no reply. (Time expired)