Ms MARTIN - 1998-11-25
Will the minister admit that in hospitals where private management has taken over public hospitals, such as Port Macquarie in New South Wales, the conditions of workers have declined, casual staff numbers have increased dramatically and permanent workers have been put on short term contracts? Will he admit that these hospitals are after profit, not health outcomes, and that this has led to huge increases in executive salaries...
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Allow members to ask their questions.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, you cannot allow nitwits like that to interrupt.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for MacDonnell, allow the member for Fannie Bay to ask her question.
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Perhaps we might allow the member for Fannie Bay the opportunity to ask her question again, and I ask members to allow all questions to be asked in silence. You know that. You expect the same courtesy. You give it to others.
Ms MARTIN: Will the minister admit that in hospitals where private management has taken over public hospitals, and I gave the example of Port Macquarie in New South Wales, the conditions of workers have declined, casual staff numbers have increased dramatically and permanent workers have been put on short term contracts? Will he admit that these hospitals are after profit, not health outcomes, and that this has led to huge increases in executive salaries where hospital profits have increased?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I find it interesting when the Labor Party runs these lines that they fail to remember it was a federal Labor government that commenced this process at a federal level by privatising veterans hospitals. Hollywood in Perth, a 350 bed hospital, was privatised in 1994 and Greenslopes in Queensland was privatised in 1995, under a Keating government. They obviously felt that veterans could get an adequate standard of care through this method. Would anyone suggest that the federal government, a federal Labor government, would put veterans into a situation where they received poor health outcomes? That is what you are suggesting when you run the line that any privatisation model will not work. I have visited Port Macquarie Hospital ...
Mr Bailey: So all the veterans take out private health cover to get in do they?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr BURKE: I spent some time at Port Macquarie Hospital and, while it was only a small straw poll, I felt the community was extremely satisfied with the hospital there. It is a delightful hospital to visit. It is well run. I spoke at length to the Director of Nursing at Port Macquarie Hospital, who held the same position at the public hospital before it became privatised, and she spoke highly of that hospital. Her husband wrote a report about the history of the Port Macquarie privatisation. You might like to speak to her, she is a very strong Labor lady.
In terms of the increase in casual staff, is that a bad thing? I have recently done a survey of nurses in the Northern Territory and there are many registered nurses in the Territory with families to look after who would love more flexible working hours. Clearly, some of those people will be able to get opportunities if this model progresses.
I reiterate, Madam Speaker, that whilst the opposition will use these sorts of examples, one really cannot make hypothetical comparisons between what happens in one jurisdiction and the sorts of models that we are looking at in the Northern Territory.
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Allow members to ask their questions.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, you cannot allow nitwits like that to interrupt.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for MacDonnell, allow the member for Fannie Bay to ask her question.
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Perhaps we might allow the member for Fannie Bay the opportunity to ask her question again, and I ask members to allow all questions to be asked in silence. You know that. You expect the same courtesy. You give it to others.
Ms MARTIN: Will the minister admit that in hospitals where private management has taken over public hospitals, and I gave the example of Port Macquarie in New South Wales, the conditions of workers have declined, casual staff numbers have increased dramatically and permanent workers have been put on short term contracts? Will he admit that these hospitals are after profit, not health outcomes, and that this has led to huge increases in executive salaries where hospital profits have increased?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I find it interesting when the Labor Party runs these lines that they fail to remember it was a federal Labor government that commenced this process at a federal level by privatising veterans hospitals. Hollywood in Perth, a 350 bed hospital, was privatised in 1994 and Greenslopes in Queensland was privatised in 1995, under a Keating government. They obviously felt that veterans could get an adequate standard of care through this method. Would anyone suggest that the federal government, a federal Labor government, would put veterans into a situation where they received poor health outcomes? That is what you are suggesting when you run the line that any privatisation model will not work. I have visited Port Macquarie Hospital ...
Mr Bailey: So all the veterans take out private health cover to get in do they?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr BURKE: I spent some time at Port Macquarie Hospital and, while it was only a small straw poll, I felt the community was extremely satisfied with the hospital there. It is a delightful hospital to visit. It is well run. I spoke at length to the Director of Nursing at Port Macquarie Hospital, who held the same position at the public hospital before it became privatised, and she spoke highly of that hospital. Her husband wrote a report about the history of the Port Macquarie privatisation. You might like to speak to her, she is a very strong Labor lady.
In terms of the increase in casual staff, is that a bad thing? I have recently done a survey of nurses in the Northern Territory and there are many registered nurses in the Territory with families to look after who would love more flexible working hours. Clearly, some of those people will be able to get opportunities if this model progresses.
I reiterate, Madam Speaker, that whilst the opposition will use these sorts of examples, one really cannot make hypothetical comparisons between what happens in one jurisdiction and the sorts of models that we are looking at in the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016