Ross Hart (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to report to the House an issue that has arisen, particularly in my constituency of Bass. Last Friday I attended a very special event held at Ockerby Gardens, which is on the fringes of the Launceston General Hospital's campus in Launceston. This was a rally held by the ANMF and other associated health unions, and of course other unions, in support of their industrial action. The rally was held to commemorate, if that's the right word, 100 continuous days of a vigil that's been undertaken by the emergency department staff of the Launceston General Hospital.

The Launceston General Hospital is a well-respected institution within Bass. It's relied upon by many of the constituents within my electorate, and for good purpose. But the emergency department is suffering under significant strain, and the Tasmanian state Liberal government has refused to adequately resource the hospital. We have the extraordinary situation where we have dedicated emergency department staff holding a vigil for 100 days during the course of a Tasmanian winter—I don't need to remind members in this place as to what a Tasmanian winter might involve. Every day, rain or shine, those members of the emergency department have been holding a vigil under what they call their Bring Your Own Bed campaign.

Unfortunately, the Launceston General Hospital emergency department has some of the worst statistics in the nation for compliance with emergency department waiting times. This is something which is absolutely disgraceful but not something that can be visited upon the dedicated staff within the Launceston General Hospital. The blame for this purely lies with a state government which is wilfully blind and refuses to listen to the concerns of the workers at the Launceston General Hospital. In any one 24-hour waiting period there may be up to 60 patients in the emergency department, which may consist of: up to 24 patients waiting in inpatient ward beds; up to eight ambulances ramped at any one time; and, at one point, up to five category 2 patients in the waiting room. This creates enormous stress and anxiety for those who work on the frontline of our health system. It's something that can't be ignored. It is a crisis. It's a crisis that needs to be addressed by a state government which is wilfully blind and refuses to listen.