Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand tonight to condemn the Labor Party for its shabby treatment of regional Tasmania. I am sure the story that I am about to tell is indicative of similar treatment in many other parts of regional Australia. This is the ‘me too’ Labor Party that promised not to rock the boat—the party that gave Australians a clear impression that all would be well under a Labor government because Labor would match whatever the Howard government either had promised or was funding. This was the impression that was deliberately conveyed to voters. Tonight I offer some examples of why you cannot trust the Rudd Labor government and why the people of regional Tasmania, specifically in the remote communities of Rosebery, on the west coast, and Ouse, in the central highlands, simply cannot accept the word of the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and of the federal Labor Party.

What happens when a political party breaches the faith placed in it by the voters? Last year, former Prime Minister John Howard earmarked $2 million for the Rosebery and Ouse hospitals—$1 million each to keep the hospitals operating, subject to their being restored to previous operational levels. Senators in this chamber may recall that earlier last year the Lennon Labor government in Tasmania had downgraded the services of both hospitals to suit a new state health plan, which included the construction of a massive Taj Mahal style public hospital in Hobart costing around $1 billion over the 10-year period.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Taj Mahal?

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, indeed, it will be, Senator Evans. Some of the $45 million each year that the state government would subsequently save from John Howard’s decision to take over the running of the Mersey hospital—now put at more than $60 million per annum—would then be used in part to revive services at both the Rosebery and Ouse hospitals. But this was not a great call on state coffers. I want to put on the record that, in the state budget figures, the Ouse hospital deficit was running at approximately $106,766 in 2006-07. At Rosebery the deficit was a meagre $214,786. That came to less than one per cent of the money freed up from the Mersey takeover. So, for the 2007-08 year, the operating cost to run both hospitals was less than $3 million, or five per cent of the money freed up from the Mersey takeover.

The federal government promised Tasmanians that every single dollar would be spent in the north. Indeed, the state minister for health, Lara Giddings, promised at a public meeting in Launceston, which I and many hundreds of other Launcestonians and northerners attended, that every cent would be spent in the north and north-west of Tasmania. But now they have committed to spending $8 million in the south.

I take issue with Dean Southwell, the editor of the Examiner, who, in his opinion piece on Sunday, said that he did not see it as such a big issue as to where the money would be spent. I see it as a big issue, firstly, for northern and north-western Tasmania and, secondly, in terms of integrity. On the one hand you have the state government saying, ‘Look, we are going to spend $8 million in the south,’ and then on the other hand you have Kevin Rudd and the federal Labor government saying that every single dollar will be spent in the north and north-west. Who is right? Where will that money go?

In terms of Ouse and Rosebery, at Ouse it is good news that there is a review underway about the possibility of a multipurpose service. How did this come about? This was part of the proposal put forward by Christopher Pyne, Tony Abbott and the local community—Mayor Deirdre Flint and the Hospital Action Committee. This is what they wanted and this is what we were working towards. At least the state government are now considering that as an option—an independent report will consider that—and I hope they proceed swiftly in that regard.

In terms of Rosebery, federal Labor has held discussion with the Tasmanian government about improvements to the community based aged-care, respite and health services in the Ouse and Rosebery communities, at the instigation of the local federal member, Dick Adams. This was reported on 25 September last year in Labor’s policy on the Tasmanian health plan. It said:

Federal Labor will continue to work with the Tasmanian Government and local community members to improve the quality of services in both communities.

Goodness me! The state government had a plan and implemented the plan to downgrade both hospitals. It is on the record.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You supported it.

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indeed I did not, Senator Conroy. We opposed it vigorously with the local community and the local mayors.

The federal member for Lyons, Dick Adams, did nothing to assist the cause of the Rosebery and Ouse communities. When the Howard government put up the funds to save the hospital, instead of welcoming the money, what did he do? He said, ‘It is a stunt.’ Mr Adams said at various times that he was working behind the scenes with the state government to upgrade the health services in both Rosebery and Ouse. But we did not see much.

Mr Adams is in the parliamentary diabetes support group as a colleague with me on the executive, and I have worked with Mr Adams happily and well and cooperatively in that regard. But he must be called to account on this matter. I cannot let Mr Adams or his party escape without the strongest rebuke for broken promises and the most misleading newsletter that I have seen in recent years. It said that Dick Adams was delighted that he has been able to secure a number of important projects for Lyons as well as a share in some major projects, such as those stated in Labor’s education revolution and its commitment to spend $2 billion on the health system, in conjunction with the state. It goes on to say ‘including assistance to upgrade the Ouse and Rosebery health centres’. Goodness me! What assistance has he provided? Absolutely none. The state government has downgraded both Ouse and Rosebery hospitals—and he has been part of it, working behind the scenes. He has done the exact opposite to what he is claiming in his newsletter. He is making an outrageous claim.

Mr Adams has also used the occasion of recent budget estimates committee hearings to describe the $2 million given to the hospitals by the Howard government last year as a ‘hoax’, and he said that no money was ever paid. What is he going to say to the mayors, the hospital action committees and the communities in Rosebery and Ouse who were there welcoming the money? I was there with Senator Bushby, rallying and walking through the streets of Rosebery. They were fighting so hard for that money and then when it was received from the Howard government they said, ‘Thank you. We have been working and lobbying so hard for this.’ They said, ‘Thank you,’ and welcomed it with open arms. It was all through the media and all through the community. The people of Rosebery and the west coast were thrilled with that $1 million for their hospitals. To say that it was a hoax and that it never happened is absolute arrant nonsense. I would ask Mr Adams to come into the other place, the House of Representatives, and apologise to the people of Rosebery and the west coast for claiming that that money was never paid, for claiming that it was a hoax and for claiming that the welcome and the wonderful response from those communities never happened. That is absolute arrant nonsense and I would ask him to apologise.

The federal Department of Health and Ageing wrote to both the West Coast Council and the Central Highlands Council confirming that $1 million in funding had been ‘committed’ to each council and that it would be withdrawn. That is exactly what the federal department did following the Rudd Labor government coming to power. So does the Labor Party think that voters in these regions are fools? Well, they are not. Those stories were quite clear; they were out there in the public arena. I want to commend Will Hodgman, the state leader for the Liberal Party, and Brett Whitely, Michael Hodgman and Rene Hidding, the state member for Lyons, for standing up for these communities and coming down with a policy position of restoring those hospital services—thank you.

Ian Wakefield, of the Australian Workers Union, and his team are planning a rally at Parliament House in Hobart on 2 April. It is supported by the Rosebery Hospital Action Committee and it is supported by me. I know the Tasmanian Liberal Senate team fully support it, because they are standing up for the people of Rosebery and the people of the west coast. I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with the union movement at that rally in Hobart on 2 April, telling the state government what to do and how they should be restoring the health services for the people of Rosebery and the people of the west coast. I thank the Rosebery Hospital Action Committee for all their work. They have done a sterling job: Paul O’Bryan, Richard Spurr, Anne Drake, Chris Winskill, Athol Broomhall, Ivan Crompton, Sue Gilligan and many other supporters. I was there on Wednesday last week in Rosebery meeting with them. They are real troopers and I thank them for their efforts.