Thursday 18 June 2009
RUN DELLA RUN: HEALTH MINISTER ABANDONS LABOR’S “COSTED” ELECTION PROMISES
Health Minister John Della Bosca has confirmed the Rees Government will break most of Labor’s key rural health promises given to families before the 2007 State election, Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner said today.
Just days before the 2007 State election on 19 March Labor issued a list of rural health promises, allegedly fully costed by Treasury (see attached document). It promised to commence construction of a new hospital in Tamworth, a full redevelopment at Wagga Wagga, a new health service for the Bega Valley and the redevelopment of both Parkes and Forbes Hospitals.
When Health Minister John Della Bosca was asked when that series of regional hospitals would be built after they got no construction funding in this year’s State Budget, he told 2GB’s Andrew Moore:
John Della Bosca: “¼Northern Beaches, Wagga, another area, another region with a real expectation that they’re going to get a hospital, and the fourth pod at Port Macquarie, Tamworth Base. There’s a series, Bega Hospital¼”
Andrew Moore: “So we don’t know is the answer.”
John Della Bosca: “What I’m going to start doing is planning those.”
Then later, John Della Bosca: “The issue is no we can’t. The honest truth is we can’t build those buildings right now.”
“When Labor issues another list of ‘fully costed’ election promises the public will have every right not to believe them,” Mrs Skinner said.
“This treachery proves Labor’s election promises simply can’t be trusted,” she said.
“Labor will again have their promises ‘costed’ by Treasury, but it won’t guarantee they are affordable or that they will go ahead.
“If John Della Bosca had given the public ‘the honest truth’ before the last election, the outcome may have been different.
“By running away from their promises, Labor is putting the healthcare of families in these regions at risk,” Mrs Skinner said.