Via tim at the LP Facebook group, controversial Franklin candidate ALP Kevin Harkins has resigned. Commentary from Ken at Surfdom.
While we’re in Tasmania, I watched a bit of Senate question time last night1 and found this tidbit about the Devonport Hospital front in The War On The States rather fascinating. It appears that Liberal Senator Parry’s lift discussion about the folly of propping up the hospital wasn’t a one off. [Update: Via a reader's email, Kenneth Davidson has a powerful piece in The Age about the folly of this political move, and the intriguing role bureaucrat Jane Halton of children overboard fame played in it.]
1. Yes, there’s the inevitable Facebook group for question time tragics too.
Senator McLUCAS (2.48 pm)—My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing. Is the minister aware that Senator Parry made a submission to the review of the Tasmanian hospital system on 10 April 2004 supporting the reform of the Tasmanian health system? Is the minister further aware that Senator Parry’s submission stated that duplication of health services in north-west Tasmania had failed to deliver the standard of care that the communityneeded and indeed deserved? Is the minister also aware that Senator Parry wrote to the Tasmanian health minister, Lara Giddings, on 7 February this year supporting the state government’s plans for reform, stating that:“I am encouraged that at long last we are tackling the real issues of duplication in order to provide better health services.”
Given that Senator Parry’s position is now clear, can the minister explain why Minister Abbott now asserts that this is not his view?
Senator ELLISON—I am not aware of the submission that Senator McLucas refers to, but, in relation to the Commonwealth government’s position, it is quite clear that we aim to have a health system which benefits all Australians and, where we have state and territory governments that fall down in their duty, we will back up those communities that have suffered from the negligence of those state and territory governments. I am advised that Senator Parry put out a statement. That statement, which I understand is dated today, says that comments attributed to Senator Parry in the company of others, including a journalist, have been taken out of context. Senator Parry states:
“I am disappointed that the Labor Party has mischievously used a remark from a private conversation to achieve political mileage regarding the Mersey Community Hospital. I support the Government’s plans to deliver a sustainable, safe and viable health system for the people of Tasmania. The people of north-west Tasmania would be better served if Mr Rudd, the Labor Party and the Tasmanian government supported the government’s actions to improve hospital services, including the Mersey Community Hospital. The injection of $45 million should free up additional resources for north-west health services.”
Senator Parry, a very strong supporter of medical services in Tasmania, endorses the actions that the government have taken—and quite rightly so—in addressing community concerns where there is a gap in the provision of health services due to the negligence of the state government. The national government of Australia will not stand by and see the diminution of services to the Australian people because of the negligence of state and territory governments.
Senator McLucas—Mr President, I seek leave to table Senator Parry’s letter to Tasmanian health minister Lara Giddings and his submission to the review of the Tasmanian hospital system, for the benefit of the minister and in order to ensure accuracy in this chamber.
Leave not granted.
Senator Chris Evans—You coward!
The PRESIDENT—Order! Senator Evans, that is unparliamentary. Withdraw.
Senator Chris Evans—I withdraw, Mr President.
Senator Bob Brown—Mr President, on a point of order: I ask the government to reconsider the nontabling of that document so that the Senate can look at it. It is going to be a public document. They have made a mistake, and I ask them to reconsider the failure to give leave on this occasion.
The PRESIDENT—There is no point of order.
The 7.30 Report had an interesting story on the Bateman’s Bay hospital, and an even more interesting interview with Professor Steven Leeder from the Menzies Institute of health policy.
Basically, you can’t do modern health care from small understaffed underequipped rural hospitals.
The Children Overboard lady eh?
I thought this Mersey Hospital thing had a somewhat familiar stink about it.
I’ve been disappointed to date that more hasn’t been made of the Mersey debacle by the media.
In the main the coverage has tended to treat this as outragous pork-barrelling, which of course it is. But that’s not all. Normal pork barrelling involves giving undue priority to something that does at least have intrinsic worth. But not only is the funding for the Mersey Hospital not worth doing, but it is an ‘absolute bad’ on so many levels. It will lead to risks to patients and other hospitals. It also sabotages one of the Lennon Government’s regrettably rare attempts to do the right thing thus reducing the liklihood that it, or other State Governments, will allow doing the right thing to become a habit.
So I’m delighted with Davidson’s article, but disappointed that the message doesn’t seem to be getting out into Telly Land.
Robert, Jenny: spot on.
Downgrading the Mersey hospital to a satellite hospital was exactly the right thing to do to guarantee the concentration of resources at a regional centre of excellence at Burnie Hospital. The State govt was doing exactly the right thing, so the Federal intervention is more than just pork-barrelling, it’s absolute healthcare sabotage.
Hi Jenny
There’s more details here – Jeff Richardson wrote about his advice to the Tassie Govt and the health dangers of the intervention in New Matilda.
Jenny I share your concerns. Though , slowly but surely, this unscrupulous, anti-democratic action is unravelling. Of more concern will be the pork hand grenades dropped, in marginals, during a most likely brief ‘actual’ campaigning period.
The government are so experienced at this tactic and we see just the beginning of their plans. There will be no chance for any scrutiny of what we should expect to be a barrage of wasteful, polarising and potentially dangerous bribes.
Jane Halton and Barbara Bennett, what a lovely pair.
When all else fails, try censorship!
Ron Walker for one has been caught out on it. The ABC and SBS are under suspicion. Then there is the current perverse refusal to explain the relevance of “expired 2006″ from reporting of the Dr.Haneef appeal SIM card evidence ( Cosima Marriner of the SMH is the latest culprit ).
And the revelation concerning the government egging Lennon on to close Devonport and then knifing him is disturbing.
After all, we learnt from Tony Jones, interviewing Peter Beattie the other night, that tax cuts for the rich are much more important than infrastructure; a message reiterated by the Milne press gang to Lindsay Tanner at a Press club luncheon this week.
Mark, Brian and others would recall what a favourite Jane Halton was with “Web Dairy” when it was at it’s peak a few years back ( still kicking on ). Kingston was so incensed with Halton over the boat peope saga that she ran her photo for months using a corner of the home page as a sort of gibbet.
Since we are on the subject of Tory female miscreants-in-powersuits, what involvement would Hillary Penfold have had in the drawing up of the NT Indigenous affairs legislation?
The Mersey Hospital thing is the type of stunt that works like an absolute beauty in the heat of an election campaign, but when people have time to mull it over it falls apart. I tell ya, the magic is wearing off.
Liberal candidates in 2009/10, you read it here first. If it worked for Pru Goward …
I notice the ALP has said it won’t crank out another ‘night of long knives’, bulls*it, they would be idiots not to, and Janey and Barbs will be first on the chopping block.
I’m a lowly Canberra policy wonk and can assure you that not only is Jane Halton a crony, she’s incompetent, her Department is a f#*king shambles.
“Since we are on the subject of Tory female miscreants-in-powersuits, what involvement would Hillary Penfold have had in the drawing up of the NT Indigenous affairs legislation?”
Exactly none, Paul. Hilary Penfold was the highly esteemed head of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel (the agency that drafts legislation for all departments) until a few years ago, when she moved to Parliamentary Services, a truly thankless job. And she’s no Tory miscreant.
A lot of people have put their neck out this year and you can bet the Howard govt crucify them, villify them and character assasinate them without mercy if they win the election. We have already seen like a mafia mob this govt can sometimes act… aka Justice Kirby.