Tuesday 3 February 2009
DELLA BOSCA DOESN’T EVEN WANT THE HEALTH PORTFOLIO: THAT’S WHY HE DOESN’T CARE
Behind a lot of the division is the determination by Tripodi and his mate Eddie Obeid to keep their hands on the levers of power and to keep their Terrigals faction strong – and the thwarted ambitions of Della Bosca, who wanted to be treasurer but ended up with a portfolio he had already knocked back twice, Health. Some say Della Bosca is now attempting to build an empire in the Right faction caucus, pushing an anti-Obeid ticket unifying the smaller Right factions so the deputy premier, Carmel Tebbutt, would be premier and he would be treasurer. (Sydney Morning Herald 31-1-09)
Reports John Della Bosca had already knocked back the health portfolio twice before accepting the position of Health Minister provides an explanation for why he doesn’t seem to care, Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner said today.
“NSW needs a Health Minister who wants to do the job, not a factional warlord who wants to be treasurer,” Mrs Skinner said.
“It appears the only thing John Della Bosca is interested in is building some sort of anti-Obeid faction within the Labor caucus,” she said.
“A Health Minister who cared would have been too busy trying to sort out the problems in our hospitals to get involved in factional fighting.
“Meanwhile in the real world, NSW hospitals are going from bad to worse.
“Hospitals owe $117 million in unpaid bills, a young man died after being discharged from Griffith Base Hospital, patients continue to swelter in unairconditioned wards and new rescue helicopters inflict severe heat stress on paramedics, to name just a few issues that John Della Bosca is ignoring.
“John Della Bosca needs to spend less time fighting factional wars and more time finding solutions to the problems in our hospitals.
“In short: NSW needs a Health Minister who cares.
“Families want a Health Minister who will stand up for them when it comes to getting proper treatment.
“Doctors and nurses want a Health Minister who will ensure they are getting the training, funding and resources they need to do their job, and involve them in the decisions that have an impact on their hospital.
“If John Della Bosca cared about being the Health Minister he’d be in there fighting for patients, doctors and nurses – instead he’s fighting bitter factional wars and ignoring the deepening crisis in our hospitals,” Mrs Skinner said.