Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

Let's talk again about Mr Norman. Mr Norman, the Liberal Party chair of the Cairns Health and Hospital district, has sacked through his management 243 hardworking health workers who now cannot deliver the services to people of the north that we very much desire.

We have had a taste of what Mr Abbott would be like as a prime minister, because we have the Premier of Queensland showing us the way. I have great faith in Northern Australia. I have great faith in the future of our part of the world, but it was a Labor government which has truly invested in North Queensland—in our roads, in our regional infrastructure, in our health and in our education services. These services support families in the north. They support families to make good, strong decisions about their futures and the ability to maintain the population of Northern Australia. We have seen since Mr Newman came to government a loss of workers totally in the north. I—