The following letter from QNU Secretary Beth Mohle was recently sent to the Courier Mail: To the Editor, I write in response to a recent poll which highlighted the Newman Government’s poor performance on health. The poll (the Sunday Mail pages 18 and 19) found 48% of Queenslanders believe LNP health policies are “poor” or “very poor.’’ A further 23.2% described the Newman Government’s direction on health as just “satisfactory.’’ These poll results would have been far worse if more residents knew the Newman administration had axed more than 4000 hospital and health service jobs, including more than 1650 nurse and midwifery roles, since 2012. These State Government statistics include oncology and paediatric positions. However it seems the State Government remains unconcerned about public opinion or the misdirection of public funds. In an ironic and disheartening twist, a State Government advertisement on nurse pay ran directly under the poll findings (the Sunday Mail page 19). The incomprehensible half-page ad, worth an estimated $20,000, is part of a long-running and confusing Newman Government advertising campaign with an estimated multi-million dollar taxpayer spend. The campaign is just one of many. The campaign has run in newspapers, online and on prime time TV and radio for eight weeks yet no-one knows what it means. Is the Newman Government planning to attack nurse and midwife penalty rates? Or alter the existing payroll system? The content does not elaborate and the State Government has repeatedly refused to explain. Surely a Ministerial Statement, drafted by the Health Minister and read in Parliament for free, would have better served Queensland taxpayers and patients. This is a perfect example of the Newman Government’s “poor’’ priorities on health, with taxpayer millions given to those who least need them, media magnates and PR firms, rather than our most deserving residents - the sick, aged and injured. Yours sincerely, Beth Mohle Secretary
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 23:17:15 +0000
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