Ms ROSOL question to MINISTER for HEALTH, Mr GUY BARNETT
Under your government, the crisis in the Tasmania Department of Health has worsened across the board. Last week, Tasmanians were shocked to learn about a leaked memo that revealed you are already making cuts in community mental health and wellbeing. This part of the department includes Ambulance Tasmania, Child Health and Parenting Service, mental health, public health and hospital pharmacy. Unions have been explicit. These cuts will have devastating effects on services that are already struggling. Worse still, further cuts are expected due to savings demanded in the 2024‑25 budget. There is also deep concern your cuts will reach into other parts of health, especially as the leaked memo referred to operating theatres.
Has the hospitals and primary care division also been forced to establish a vacancy control committee? Given that Tasmanians deserve a safe and functional health service, will you immediately reverse your dangerous cuts to health?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker. I thank the honourable member for her important question. As a government, health and delivering more and better healthcare services is our top priority. We have delivered that with record funding: $12 billion over the forward estimates; $8.3 million a day. That is what we are spending. You referred to a memo, both publicly, and again, the Premier has responded to that very clearly.
There will be no cuts to our frontline services. In fact, exactly the opposite. We are employing more doctors, more nurses, more ambos and more allied health professionals. This is happening right here, right now, and in fact we are on a recruitment blitz. We want more on the frontline to deliver more and better healthcare services so that we can build a better healthcare system.
The actual memo that you refer to – and you refer to the unions – has been shamelessly misrepresented. We are continuing to invest record funds in our healthcare system, and we can do that. All reasonable options should be on the table in terms of being as prudent as Tasmanian taxpayers want us to be. We need to be prudent and reasonable in how we manage our budgets, and that is why we are in government. Over 10 years we have rebuilt the economy. We have rebuilt the health system.
What happened under Labor and the Greens – the Premier has just mentioned it – you know what happened? You sacked a nurse a day. You were the ones that sacked the frontline healthcare workers – Labor and the Greens. Surely you cannot forget that. It was only 10 years ago, between 2010 and 2014, that you sacked the healthcare workers, the frontline workers, and we have rebuilt –
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER – Members on my left will stop interjecting and members on my right will remember not to mislead the House in any form ever.
Members – Hear, hear.
Mr BARNETT – Thank you, Speaker. We have rebuilt the healthcare system and we have put 2500 healthcare workers more in the last 10 years. We have employed 1390 more nurses in the last 10 years. I will need to get that right, but it has been 10 years.
Dr WOODRUFF – Point of order, Madam Speaker, Standing Order 45, relevance. The specific question Ms Rosol asked was about the primary care and health division, and whether you are having cuts in that area.
The SPEAKER – We have four seconds, minister, if you could address that. Otherwise, I am sure that we will be getting a supplementary.
Mr BARNETT – With the greatest of respect, it was a very long question and I have answered nearly all of nearly all of the question.
The SPEAKER – It was indeed, and your time has expired. I am assuming that you are seeking a supplementary, Ms Rosol?
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Ms ROSOL – Yes. The minister has not answered my question about other divisions. Have other divisions been forced to establish a vacancy control committee within the health department?
The SPEAKER – The minister did have a lot of commentary to respond to in the first part of the question, but the supplementary is quite precise. Minister, I will draw you directly to it.
Mr BARNETT – Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have made it very clear that the memo has been grossly misrepresented by the unions, and indeed, by others. I have made it very clear that as a government and across government we need to be responsible and prudent. The Health department is no different. I have made it very clear we are employing more people in our frontline services, and with respect to that question, we need to be prudent and we will be.
