Moncrieff Media

Health Minister needs a reality transplant

21 August 2009

Health Minister Nicola Roxon thumbed her nose at the Gold Coast in Federal Parliament today, choosing poisonous snipes over real answers on local healthcare, says local MP Steven Ciobo.

 Minister Roxon, who promised to fix the Coast’s hospitals by June 2009, made a mockery of a question on healthcare and instead chose the opportunity to indulge in petty mockery of Shadow Health Minister Peter Dutton.

“According to the State Labor Government’s own figures the Coast has seen elective surgery lists go up by 10 per cent,” Mr Ciobo said. “The long-wait surgical list has risen by 8 per cent, people waiting for specialists’ appointments up by 23 per cent and emergency attendances up by 10 per cent.”

“They’re the woeful results for the Coast’s public hospitals, despite a Labor Government promise to fix the Coast’s - and nation’s - hospitals by June 2009. Yet Minister Roxon chooses to make a mockery of healthcare on the Coast.”

Minister Roxon spent most of her answer attacking Mr Dutton over a suggestion he would seek preselection in the seat or McPherson, and so avoiding the embarrassing issue of the deteriorating performance of healthcare on the Coast.

“Minister Roxon was speaking days before a visit to the Coast for another of her hospital ‘listening tours’, which on this occasion won’t actually even go near a hospital.”

“These nationwide ‘consultations’ are nothing more than an exercise in PR-spin and photo-opportunities for the Prime Minister and Minister Roxon,” Mr Ciobo said.

“The Prime Minister promised at the last election that he would fix public hospitals or take them over by June 2009.”

“The June deadline has been and gone, and we’re now in a situation with our local public hospitals where over the last 18 months under Kevin Rudd, they’ve actually got worse. Based on the latest results for Coast Mr Rudd would have to annex the Gold Coast some time very soon.”