DOCTORS' CONTRACT CRISIS REACHES A NEW LOW

Media Release

The Newman Government must today fix its escalating public health crisis by dumping the unfair WorkChoices-style contracts it is forcing doctors to sign.
Shadow Health Minister Jo-Ann Miller said as doctors planned a mass meeting in Brisbane tonight to discuss the on-going stand-off, the crisis was escalating because the arrogant Premier and his belligerent Health Minister refused to fix a dispute they created.“They created it – they need to fix it,” Mrs Miller said the government was still refusing to listen despite a poll today which shows Queenslanders are overwhelmingly opposed to the forced contracts.

The poll of residents across four electorates throughout the state shows 67.7 per cent of Queenslanders opposed the contracts and just 17.5 per cent supported them, while half of those polled said they believed the health system had deteriorated under the LNP.
“It’s now been five months since the Opposition first raised the issue of these unfair forced contracts in the State Parliament and the Premier and the Health Minister have continued on their arrogant path, refusing to do the right thing,” Mrs Miller said.
“The Premier clearly is still not listening to the medical fraternity or to Queenslanders – that’s clear from the poll today which was partially undertaken in his own electorate."

“Campbell Newman and Lawrence Springborg face a clear choice today – they either start listening and get rid of these unreasonable and unfair contracts today or they allow the deadline for signing at the end of April to come and cause mass resignations."
“The Premier and the Health Minister will have no-one but themselves to blame for the very real possibility that our hospitals will be doctorless and the public health system as we know it will grind to a halt."

“Queenslanders are on the side of the doctors. Queenslanders value our medical professionals unlike this Premier and this Health Minister who are incapable of negotiating without picking an unnecessary fight, just as they did with the legal profession and just as they did with the thousands of public servants they have sacked.”
Mrs Miller said the Premier and his Health Minister had reached a new low today by launching a Federal Court action to have the medical community silenced.
“Instead of staging unnecessary bullying legal fights, they should be sitting down with the doctors and making a legitimate attempt to sort this fiasco out,” she said.

“Instead of attempting to shut down the fundamental right to negotiate on work conditions, the Premier should be personally meeting with the doctors to fix the mess he has created along with his Health Minister.”