Friday 23 November 2012

Springborg Sells-Off Eight State Run Nursing Homes

Media Release 

Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin says the Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has finally confessed to the asset sales of eight state-run nursing homes across Queensland.
Mr Mulherin said in a remarkable bit of spin, even for the Minister for Health Cuts and Closures, Mr Springborg had yet again attempted to blame the previous Labor Government for his decision to sell the following nursing homes:
  •  Parklands, Townsville 
  •  Ashworth House, Zillmere 
  •  Eventide Sandgate, Brighton 
  •  Moreton Bay Nursing Care Unit, Wynnum 
  •  Redlands Residential Centre, Cleveland 
  •  Eventide, Charters Towers 
  •  North Rockhampton Nursing Centre 
  •  Yaralla Place, Maryborough
“Just weeks before Christmas Mr Springborg has thrown the lives of many elderly and frail aged Queenslanders and their families into turmoil by announcing the sale of these facilities,” Mr Mulherin said.
“To add insult to injury Mr Springborg made the announcement in a bizarre press release blaming the decision on everyone except himself.
“The simple fact is Mr Springborg is the one transferring these eight facilities from state care into the private sector, the buck stops with him and he should man-up and take responsibility for his callous decisions.
“If he finds his announcement so unpalatable that he feels the need to blame everyone but himself perhaps he should take another look at the callous decision he is making.
“As with all asset sales this could mean reduced bed numbers and closures of facilities at these eight centres across Queensland.
“For Mr Springborg to announce this asset sale just weeks before Christmas shows what little regard he has for the elderly residents of our state-run nursing homes.”
Mr Mulherin said Mr Springborg knew his claims that this was a plan of the previous Labor Government were blatantly wrong.
“Mr Springborg may have Queensland Health documents that discuss options for state-run aged care facilities but these were rejected by the Labor Government as it was not in the best interest of Queenslanders or specifically the residents of our aged care services,” he said.
“The fact is no Minister supported the idea and the proof of that is the fact that until Mr Springborg became Minister for Health those nursing homes continued to operate.
“He is the one who is throwing the lives of elderly Queenslanders and their families into chaos by closing nursing home beds.
“But far worse is the fact that Mr Springborg’s Cabinet colleague Minister John-Paul Langbroek knows full well the Health Minister’s claims are wrong.
“On 4 August 2010 Mr Langbroek — then Opposition Leader — asked a question of the Premier and the answer specifically ruled out a government exit from nursing homes. (See Hansard below)
Tomorrow from 7am hundreds of angry and frustrated family members and community supporters of Eventide Brighton will march across the new Ted Smout Bridge from Clontarf to rally on the shores of Moreton Bay at Eventide Brighton, concerned people should join the march.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE — 4 AUGUST 2010
Aged Care
Mr LANGBROEK (10.30 am): My first question without notice is to the Premier. I refer to the
health minister’s charter of goals of 31 March this year—page 30, item 50—which under the title ‘Measure’ clearly states that the minister is expected to complete the transfer of aged-care licences to non-government and private sector facilities. I table a copy. (Tabled papers) It also includes the 15 Queensland Health run homes that are to be privatised, and I ask: will the Premier confirm that Labor has reached a new low with its plans to privatise to sell off nursing homes?
Ms BLIGH: I thank the honourable member for the question. The government has absolutely no intention of privatising any of the state owned nursing homes. That is a policy that has been put on the record and repeated over and over again. There is, however, some interest from some nursing home operators in the non-government, not-for-profit community sector and there have been discussions with them. Why are they looking at assistance from the state government? Because they have not been able to secure the finance they need to access the places available through the Commonwealth government.
In fact, as I recall, the last time the Commonwealth government issued a round of licences for new aged-care beds there were very few operators in Queensland who put forward any proposal to take up those beds. There were surplus that were not bid for. That seems to me an extraordinary thing in one of the fastest growing states in Australia. It speaks to the importance of both sides of politics revisiting the issue of how we provide for aged-care facilities. We know that not only do we have a growing population but also we have an ageing population and it has to be remedied.
How did we get into the situation in Australia where needed facilities in aged care are so far behind? Labor has been in power federally for 2½ years. How long was Tony Abbott in a portfolio looking after some of these issues? More than a decade. Everybody in this House knows that if there was one area of underfunding in the Howard government it was health. Not only was it underfunded; $1 billion was taken out of the Commonwealth-state health agreement. When Tony Abbott had a chance in government he ripped the guts out of the health portfolio. He took Commonwealth investment out of health. Anybody who believes he will not do the same thing again in areas like aged care, in areas like hospitals—
Opposition members interjected.
Ms BLIGH: Those opposite do not want to hear it, but it is true and they know it. He has already gone to the electorate and talked about the things he will cut. He will be like every other Liberal leader federally: he will cut spending in social services like aged care and health. The member for Surfers Paradise coming in here feigning care for people in aged-care facilities is nothing short of a fraud. Their side of politics has an absolutely shocking record in this regard. The Queensland government does have ownership of some aged-care facilities and we will retain them.

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