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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