Parliamentary Speeches
North Coast Area Health Service Job Cuts ( 25/11/2008)
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina) [1.20 p.m.]: I am very concerned about the proposed cuts by this Labor Government in health expenditure for the North Coast Area Health Service. The advice I have is that 400 jobs will be cut from within the health service. That will affect the quality of health services in the Ballina electorate and beyond. There are three hospitals in my electorate: Ballina District Hospital, Byron District Hospital and Mullumbimby and District War Memorial Hospital. However, as the shadow Minister for the North Coast, I am also concerned about the 19 hospitals between Port Macquarie and the Queensland border.
The health system on the North Coast is struggling. We have a rapidly growing and ageing population in our region. As people get older they require more health services; in fact, people over 65 years of age use four times more health services than those under 65, and the North Coast has 25 per cent more people over 65 than the State average. In the Ballina local government area 19.6 per cent of the population are over 65 years of age. Clearly, we have a higher demand for health services than other areas and that demand is forecast to continue to grow. We need more resources to meet that demand, not fewer. Indeed, the North Coast Area Health Service is $56 million underfunded this year according to the Government's own resource allocation formula and it is now being asked to cut its budget by a further 400 positions.
It is totally unacceptable that we should suffer any losses in frontline services. If there are savings to be made in the backroom bureaucracy that is one thing, but a 400-position cut will certainly affect frontline services. There must be no cuts to frontline services; indeed, they need to be enhanced. I am deeply concerned that such a cut in the health service will seriously affect patient care. New South Wales Nurses Association General Secretary Susan Pearce has said:
The patient will ultimately suffer and this affects our members who are whole-heartedly concerned for their care.
She went on to point out with regard to the Government's approach:
Their idea of frontline workers are doctors and nurses. But if services in pathology, physiotherapy and the kitchen are cut then nurses and doctors simply won't be able to do their job.
The Treasurer claimed in his mini-budget speech that frontline services would be quarantined from any budgetary cuts. The Premier has also stated that:
The health budget was quarantined and there haven't been cuts to that initial budget.
He was referring to the June 2008 budget. Yet the mini-budget clearly outlines that a total of $205 million has been cut from area health service budgets. This Labor Government has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted. Essential services will be severely affected by its inability to manage New South Wales' finances.
Not only is patient care being put at risk, but any cuts to the current level of services provided by hospitals will also lead to an increase in hospital waiting times. The current waiting times are unacceptable. Patients must wait for months for so-called elective surgeries such as hip replacements. These people are forced to suffer pain and immobility for extended periods under the current New South Wales health system, which many consider to be in crisis. Any increase in waiting times would be unconscionable and inhumane. Under the heading "Public loses patience with Health Minister" the editorial in today's Northern Star states:
Having a senior spokesperson for New South Wales Health Minister John Della Bosca stand up and say cutting 400 jobs from our region's health service would actually be a good thing, by enabling our hospitals to treat more patients, must have left a lot of people gob smacked
How could any intelligent minister try to justify the slashing of 400 jobs in a health service already on record as being completely understaffed and under resourced by saying it is necessary to cope with Australia's growing and ageing population?
The editorial concludes:
This State Government has shown it couldn't care less for the needs of its constituents or its employees. Premier Rees and his cohorts are an absolute disgrace and the sooner they are gone, the better. The election may be two years away but this region will not forget and forgive.
My North Coast colleagues and I will be launching a petition to protest against these proposed cuts to the health services in our electorates and a number of public meetings will be held next weekend and subsequently. Other members of Parliament will also be raising this issue in the House. In total, North Coast Area Health Service covers seven electorates. I am raising this issue today as the local member for Ballina and also as the shadow Minister for Health. As I said, three hospitals in my electorate will be directly affected by this measure and many of my constituents also use Lismore Base Hospital, which will also be affected. What is proposed will adversely affect patient care and is totally unacceptable. The New South Wales Government must make available to the North Coast Area Health Service the resources it needs to meet the increasing demand for health care on the North Coast.
