Cameron Thompson (Blair, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister inform the House how the federal government is supporting public hospitals in Queensland? Is the government confident that the Commonwealth’s investment is being matched by that of the state government?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the member for his question. I can inform the House that over the life of the current healthcare agreements the Commonwealth will give Queensland more than $8 billion towards the running of public hospitals in that state. In addition, Queensland will receive more than $8 billion in GST revenue this year, including a $700 million windfall that was not anticipated when the GST agreement was made. Despite these rivers of gold, the Beattie government is spending 25 per cent less per head on public hospitals than the other states. We are all aware of the problem of inadequately trained overseas doctors in Queensland, including one whose treatment caused the death of a woman in the area of the member for Blair. We are all aware of inadequate bed numbers in Queensland, including the secret shutdown last week of mental health beds at Ipswich hospital.

But there is more evidence today of the continuing crisis in Queensland public hospitals. Figures just out show that in the last 12 months the number of people waiting longer than the medically recommended time for treatment in Queensland public hospitals has increased to almost 10,000. At Royal Brisbane Hospital there are now 3,700 people waiting to see an ear, nose or throat specialist, there are 2,000 people waiting to see eye specialists and, according to Queensland health insiders, these people can wait up to four years to see a doctor. At Townsville hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital patients with aggressive cancers are waiting double and triple the recommended times for treatment.

The Queensland election should be a referendum on the state of Queensland’s public hospitals. Whatever Premier Beattie says, Labor now officially believes that there is no such thing as answers to the problems of Australia’s public hospitals. I came across a speech by the member for Lalor just the other day. Listen to what the member for Lalor thinks. She says:

The one thing you can be sure of is that anyone who has already made up their mind about exactly what Governments should do in this area just hasn’t thought through all the difficult issues.

So, if you know what you are doing, by definition you are wrong! That is what the member for Lalor says; that is what she thinks. Is it any wonder that Labor is now officially a policy-free zone in health?