Page 2305 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 29 August 2007
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18.3 per cent in 2002 to 15 per cent in 2006-07. But don’t let the facts get in the way of a good media release. We go on. Mrs Burke, here is direct proof of talking down the public health system:
… the system is so bad Canberra recently achieved the dubious honour of topping the list of Australia’s worst performing hospitals …
When? Where did it top the list? Where is the report that lists a table of hospitals? It does not exist. But again, don’t let that get in the way of a good media release. The media release says that nurses are running around the wards trying to obtain basic supplies for patients.
And here is a gem: “We have a Third World hospital system here.” Have you been in a Third World hospital, Mrs Burke? A Third World hospital system? Do you think that the health professionals working in our hospitals think that you are congratulating them? Do you think you are doing them a favour, that you are backing them up by saying that they are working in a Third World hospital system, that that is the system they are delivering to patients? In the same interview, Mrs Burke says, “We are still being branded as the worst performing hospital in Australia.” Wrong—and again there is no substantiation of that, no report for that.
“We put all this money into health, yet we are not seeing this translated into beds or nurses.” What do you think the 147 beds are? Do you think that $24 million actually buys 147 beds? They are very expensive beds if they do not come with nurses. The beds do not cost very much at all, Mrs Burke, but staffing the beds costs. I do not know how you can say that we have put all this money in and yet we are not seeing this translated into beds and nurses—147 beds that have been funded through our injections into the health system.
Here is another good one. In an interview, Mrs Burke starts off by saying, “We don’t need another plan. The previous plans have not worked.” Then, within a minute, she says, “The minister has known about this. We should have a good management plan in place.” In the same interview, within a minute, she says, “We don’t need any plans here, but things are so bad that we need a plan.”
“What is happening here? What is happening to management?” You know, management are health professionals in the hospital. Again I am trying to get you to understand that by bagging management, as you see it, you are actually bagging health professionals within the system. “We are top-heavy. Our hospitals are running at 24 per cent above the national average.” Wrong. And again, the next day:
ACT public hospitals have the highest management costs in Australia, 24 per cent above the national average.”
Wrong. And again:
Nurses tell me they were aware of the latest health plan but … not consulted.
Wrong.
Mrs Burke: Read the reports.
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