Federal Labor’s health reform mismanagement is playing with people’s lives

November 19, 2010

The bureaucratic bungling of Federal Labor’s health reforms has been clinically exposed, following revelations only 11 new beds were rolled out nationally from a $5.5 billion commitment to extra hospital funding.

Federal MP Luke Hartsuyker said a report released by the Australian Medical Association revealed how Federal Labor was failing to truly reform the health system and deliver improved services.

“After promising to fix our hospital system by June 30 2009, this latest report confirms Federal Labor’s approach to health is more about spin than service delivery,” Mr Hartsuyker said. “The AMA’s report highlights how waiting times for elective surgery remain unchanged and that after spending $5.5 billion there was only a net increase of 11 beds nationally.

“This a national disgrace but the scandalous mismanagement of these funds verges on negligence. The majority of the money has obviously been absorbed by the bureaucracy with only a trickle reaching frontline services. It is now clear that Federal Labor is the same as State Labor when it comes to the mismanagement of our health system.

“Whilst public hospitals on the north coast are crying out for additional resources, Federal Labor bureaucracy is bleeding the system dry of the extra beds and improved services which communities are demanding. This failure tops the list of Federal Labor mismanagement. We have seen billions wasted on the home insulation and billions wasted on the schools halls program.

“But for the Federal Labor Government to pour billions of dollars into a public hospital black hole without any meaningful outcome shows how incompetent they are. With none of the states reportedly having formally agreed to hand over their GST monies under the current health reforms, the government is playing a dangerous game when people’s lives are at stake.”