Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My notice of motion simply recognises the unsafe conditions of New South Wales public hospitals. Last year there were 465 assaults at New South Wales hospitals. These hospitals have never been more dangerous for both the staff and the community that rely upon them. I remind senators of the sorts of conditions health workers and patients face. Last night I spoke about paramedic Tess Oxley who had to reload a patient back into an ambulance because the hospital had become unsafe. She said:

We shouldn't have to be worried about having our back turned to somebody else - that we're going to get pushed, that we're going to get punched, that we're going to get spat on.

The motion condemns no-one. It calls on the Senate to recognise there is a crisis in safety in New South Wales hospitals and the New South Wales government should work with the political representatives of health services workers, the Health Services Union, to find a solution to ensure that patients and staff are safe.

Question agreed to.