Abbott Government continues to dismantle our health system

  Media Release

Late yesterday the Abbott Government sneakily announced the boundaries of their Primary Healthcare Networks, which delivers bad news for health services in the Far North.
It has been revealed that Cairns and the Far North falls into the 'Northern Queensland' region, a huge geographical area that stretches from the Torres Strait Islands in the North, to Dysart in the south and to Richmond in the west.
The boundaries for the Primary Healthcare Networks were posted online yesterday without any statement by the government.
Queensland Senator Jan McLucas said the Abbott Government's decision to close all 61 Medicare Locals and replace them with 30 new health bureaucracies is another blow to health services across the country.
"Medicare Locals were established to respond to the particular health needs of local communities," Senator McLucas said."
"Now we have the Abbott Government, despite promising before the last election that not a single Medicare Local would close, axing all of them and replacing them with oversized Primary Healthcare Networks which will really struggle to meet the specific needs of the numerous and diverse communities located within."
"The health challenges facing residents in the Torres Strait are very different to those in Hamilton Island and to those in the western Queensland towns of Richmond and Hughenden."
"I am concerned that the new Northern Queensland Primary Healthcare Network will face significant challenges and costs in delivering tailored health services to its hugely diverse communities.
"We've all witnessed Campbell Newman and the LNP gut our health system in Queensland and now we have Tony Abbott threatening to go even further."
"Tony Abbott wants to tax people to see a doctor, tax people to get their medicines from the chemist, tax people to have an x-ray; he wants to destroy Medicare and end universal health care in our country."
It has been estimated that the cost to close Medicare Locals will be more than $200 million. The announcement of the Primary Healthcare Network boundaries will only create bureaucratic chaos, further delays and more costs.
Tony Abbott promised before the last election that not a single Medicare Local would close. Just as he lied about cuts to pensions, lied about cuts to health, and lied about introducing no new taxes, this announcement is proof he also lied about not shutting Medicare Locals.

Thursday 16 October 2014