Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Hansard source

I do not mind the odd interjection from Senator O’Brien, who is a Labor senator for Tasmania. I hope he is passing on this factual information to his state Labor colleagues so that we can get a good deal for Tasmanians when it comes to health and health care right across the state.

In May 2009 only 72 per cent of category 1 patients, 51 per cent of category 2 patients and 68 per cent of category 3 patients were admitted within clinically recommended times—a poor performance. In Tasmania, in the year to June 2008, there were 2,886 patients who waited more than a year for surgery and, of those, 173 waited longer than—wait for it—500 days. They had to wait 500 days. Even the federal government’s own state of our hospitals report last year showed that the number of Tasmanians waiting longer than a year for surgery was 10 per cent—in fact, 10.1 per cent—compared to 1.8 per cent in New South Wales and the national average of three per cent. Why do we lag behind? Why are we suffering so much under the Bartlett Labor government in terms of health and health care? It is totally unacceptable. It is very unfair on Tasmanians.

The acting CEO of the Royal Hobart Hospital, Michael Pervan—and you would think he would be reasonably balanced and independent—said in evidence to a parliamentary inquiry in 2009:

Our performance on elective surgery at the Royal Hobart Hospital has been lacklustre to say the least …

We know that the Tasmanian Liberals are committed, under Will Hodgman and his team, to fix the problems and make it better. I congratulate Will Hodgman and Brett Whiteley, the shadow minister for health down there, who has worked hard. He has consulted with all the key stakeholders to make a real difference, to make a real change. I hope that is delivered not just for him but for Tasmanians on 20 March, in a few weeks time.

In conclusion, what will definitely occur as a result of this legislation under Labor—whether it be federal or state Labor—is increased pressure on public hospitals, increased waiting times and waiting lists under Labor and increased pressure on private hospital insurance premiums. The Rudd government promised up hill and down dale, in cold hard writing and in face-to-face meetings with the key stakeholder groups and the public prior to the election that there would be no change. They have broken that promise. That is a great shame. But it is consistent with their breach of promises on a whole range of issues, and not just in the area of health. It is consistent with their mismanagement and maladministration of our economy generally and, more recently, of the installation program. What a disaster of mismanagement and maladministration. The government should be ashamed, but it seems that the government have no shame. Instead, they have used the Sergeant Schultz response: I know nothing. That is the response they have made. It is not good enough, and I call the government to account.