Friday 23 January 2015

SEENEY LETS THE CAT OUT OF THE BORG’S BAG

Media Release


Shadow Health Minister, Jo-Ann Miller, says Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney has confirmed the Newman Government will sell one-third of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital site. (See page 22 in today’s edition of The Australian)
Mrs Miller also said the LNP’s health policy released today made no mention of the almost 5000 jobs cut from hospitals and health services across the state.
“The government’s own figures obtained through Right to Information searches show 4820 full-time positions have disappeared under the LNP in hospital and health services across our state,” she said.
“That includes 1800 nursing and midwife jobs. If the LNP was truthful it would include those savage job cuts in its policy document.”
Mrs Miller said for well over a year the Labor Party had been raising the prospect of the LNP selling off one-third of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital site.
“In response we have heard nothing but lies from the Newman Government,” Mrs Miller said.
“The Minister for Health Cuts and Closures, Lawrence Springborg, has been dancing around the issue and avoiding to confirm the outright sale of one-third of the hospital site.
“Treasurer Tim Nicholls has been spinning a yarn about private developers possibly renting all or part of the site from the government.
“But Jeff Seeney has let the cat out of the bag. There is now no doubt that the Newman LNP Government will sell off 4.8 hectares of the 18-hectare hospital site.
“That opens the door to private developers imposing high-rise hotels, office blocks, or residential towers and their massive impacts on surrounding residents.
“Instead of keeping this land for hospital expansion the LNP prefers to sell it off to developers.
“Lawrence Springborg has previously said he would look for new uses for the old Royal Children’s Hospital buildings.
“But in typical sneaky LNP style the Newman Government massively expanded the area for which it has called expression of interests.
“It covers one-third of the RBWH campus and now we know it will go to the highest bidder, massively constrain expansion of our state’s major hospital, and cause chaos in the surrounding neighbourhood,” Mrs Miller said.

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