Scott Morrison’s latest hospital cuts

LUKE GOSLING, MEMBER FOR SOLOMON: Thanks for coming out today to Palmerston Regional Hospital. It's great that we've got our Shadow Health Minister from federal Labor, Catherine King, here. I also want to acknowledge Natasha Fyles, Health Minister here with the NT Government. I'm Luke Gosling, the Member for Solomon, and I was very proud to play a part in this hospital becoming a reality. Those here that have been here for a little while will remember that this was a $110 million commitment to the hospital here in Palmerston. We then secured an extra $40 million commitment from then-Prime Minister Rudd which really enabled this hospital to be built which is obviously providing excellent services now to Palmerston and to the rural area here in the top end of Australia. 

 

We're very concerned about the cuts to health funding, and to hospital funding in particular. Scott Morrison as a new PM has not shown that he is any more aware of the health needs of Territorians than his predecessors were. This is an ongoing concern for us here in the north. Cuts to hospitals aren't helpful for us doing a range of things including Closing the Gap but also providing services to people in the regional areas here from the top end. So obviously very, very happy to have Catherine King in town once again and I'll hand over to her to have some more to say and then to Natasha Fyles.

 

CATHERINE KING, SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND MEDICARE: Thanks everybody. And look it is terrific to be back here in the Northern Territory with Luke Gosling and also Natasha Fyles, the terrific Health Minister who's doing such a great job after years of neglect by the Liberal Government and Liberal Party here in terms of our public hospitals.

 

This is a fantastic facility. Palmerston Hospital was supported by the Labor Government at the time, then backed and built by the fantastic Labor Territory Government here, now open and delivering services in this community. 

 

But unfortunately what we've seen from the federal Government under Scott Morrison is cuts to our public hospitals. In the 2017 year alone and over the next three years there is $16 million that has been ripped out of Territory public hospitals. That is some 40,000 outpatient treatments - 45 nurses - or over 25,000 emergency department visits. Those cuts are hitting deep in communities across the country but particularly here in the Northern Territory.

 

Not only have they cut $16 million out, they've now tried to lock states and territories into a new five year agreement that continues to lock in those cuts, meaning billions of dollars out of hospitals across the country. In addition to that they've also decided that they want to claw back funding for services that have already been delivered in the Territory for the last financial year. 

 

Now it is unusual for every single state and territory, Labor and Liberal, to be joining together and saying this Government has got it wrong when it comes to public hospitals. Every state and territory have expressed to the Commonwealth that they are not happy with these cuts to public hospitals. And they have enacted, for the first time ever, the dispute resolution mechanism in the National Health Reform Agreement. That dispute is now being referred, because it could not be resolved by Health Ministers, to the Prime Minister and to COAG.

 

Unfortunately though the Prime Minister is Scott Morrison, the very person who as Treasurer actually put in place these cuts. When you cut services to public hospitals across communities and public hospitals like Palmerston here it means that we can't deliver the services that we know people need in communities. But even worse when you actually cut money for services that have already been delivered, it means you actually compound the problem. 

 

I'll hand over to Natasha to talk a little bit about the Territory Government's response to these substantial cuts to the hospital. But I do want to emphasise it is very rare and very unusual for every state and territory government to be in combination enacting such a dispute resolution process because this Government has got it so wrong, so wrong, when it comes to public hospitals across this country. Thanks Natasha.

 

NATASHA FYLES, NT MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Thank you. It is wonderful to be here today with the federal Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling, a very hardworking member of our community, and to have Catherine King, the federal Shadow Health Minister, here in the Territory listening to the concerns.

 

It is absolutely appalling that the federal Government is trying to rip $5 million out of Territory hospitals for services that our hardworking doctors, nurses and clinicians have already delivered. It goes completely against having a national partnership agreement, something that was signed up to under Scott Morrison's leadership, and it is absolutely appalling. It certainly was - at the Health COAG just a couple of weeks ago - was unique to have the states and territories banding together to say this is unacceptable, Liberal and Labor governments saying you cannot rip money out of our public hospitals, it is not fair. So this is retrospectively taking money away from Territory hospitals for services that have already been delivered to Territorians when they were vulnerable.

 

JOURNALIST: Natasha, just in terms of the prison industrial action that takes place today. The Government did try to have negotiations yesterday but they fell through, is that right? 

 

FYLES: We've been negotiating in good faith for an extended period of time but our hardworking prison officers have the right, under Fair Work Australia, to take this action. Of course I'm disappointed that those negotiations have failed to date, but we will continue to negotiate in good faith. We have our newly appointed Corrections Commissioner and the Commissioner will continue, along with the Government, working with the prison officers to address their concerns.

 

JOURNALIST: Why won't the Government consider minimum safe staffing levels for the prisons? We've had several escapes recently, there's been lots of assaults, surely something like that is needed? 

 

FYLES: We're doing a range of reforms within corrections to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately and we're delivering those services to keep Territorians safe, to keep our communities safe. There are some points of disagreement but I'm confident that we will eventually get there. This action today of course is disappointing but prison officers are entitled under Fair Work to take this action and we respect that. 

 

JOURNALIST: Can the Government simply not afford minimum safe staffing levels with the current situation with the Budget?

 

FYLES: This is around how those agreements are put in place, it is not around providing those resources. As a Government we are absolutely committed to making sure that we provide resources into our prisons and to our work camps right across the Northern Territory. But we need to have clear oversight of what we need and that's the work that I've tasked the Commissioner on.

 

JOURNALIST: Are you still guaranteeing that you can 100 per cent rule out the privatisation of any part of operations including those [inaudible]?

 

FYLES: I've been firmly on the record that we will not privatise our prisons. We believe the prison officers do a fantastic job and we'll continue to negotiate through these enterprise bargaining agreements in good faith.

 

JOURNALIST: So you categorically rule out privatisation? 

 

FYLES: I've said that we've ruled out privatising our prisons. We've conducted reviews to see how we can use taxpayer dollars best but we're not intending to privatise our prisons or aspects of them. 

 

JOURNALIST: No aspects? 

 

FYLES: In terms of the prison services, no. 

 

JOURNALIST: Just on the Opposition's - it's not the actual Government who appoints the [inaudible], that's the Speaker and the Clerk's role after advice from the Solicitor General which happened in 2016. So can you just confirm that, that it falls back on the Speaker? 

 

FYLES: We're more interested in delivering for Territorians, hardworking Territorians that are sick and tired of chaotic dysfunctional governments, politicians worrying about themselves. What we're doing is we're implementing plans to tackle antisocial behaviour, deliver health services, and make sure that we have safe, vibrant communities. There has been written questions submitted by the Member for Araluen and they'll go through the due process. 

 

JOURNALIST: Would you [inaudible] as Speaker if she joined the CLP? 

 

FYLES: We've been supportive of having an independent Speaker. It was something we supported in Opposition and when we were privileged enough to be granted Government we continued that by supporting her as an independent Member of Parliament in the Speaker's role. She has not indicated - in fact she has ruled out rejoining the CLP. So I think that answers your question.

 

JOURNALIST: That was only because she was afraid of not being the Speaker. 

 

FYLES: I feel I've answered the question. 

 

JOURNALIST: Can we just clarify, who makes the decision, is it the Speaker and the Speaker's Office or is it the Government? Because the Speaker says that the Government makes the decisions, but other people say that the Speaker makes the decisions. Can we just get some clarification? 

 

FYLES: So what we've had is we've had written questions submitted by the Member for Araluen. We will allow those to go through the due process. The Department of Chief Minister I'm assuming will consult the Solicitor General for the Northern Territory to seek advice and that is all the information I have to this point.

 

JOURNALIST: Sounds like no one is really sure how the Opposition is formed at the end of the day - they've just somehow formed the Opposition but noone can answer how or why? 

 

FYLES: I know that when we became the Government, and then there were questions around Independents and Country Liberal Party members, advice was sought at that point. But this shows we've got people on the other side more focused on themselves, not focused on Territorians which is what the Government is focused on.

 

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]

 

FYLES: I'm not sure of the advice that was received at the time, it didn't come before me. But what I've said is the Member for Araluen has submitted written questions, we'll allow those to go through the due process and follow that advice.

 

JOURNALIST: How would the $5 million cut jeopardise the current services here in the NT? 

 

FYLES: It is unacceptable that the federal Government wants to take this money from some of the most vulnerable Australians. We know that we've got a big task ahead of us. To Close the Gap, delivering health services in a remote and regional context is difficult and it is unbelievable that they want to rip this funding out of our hospitals for services that have already been delivered - delivered in good faith by doctors and nurses working hard every day to protect vulnerable Territorians. And now you've got a Prime Minister that thinks it's acceptable just to disallow and take that money away. 

 

JOURNALIST: When's the next time the Government will sit down with the union to try and get a solution to this EBA? 

 

FYLES: Those negotiations are continuing with the Office of the Public Employment Commissioner. 

 

JOURNALIST: There's a lot of talk today about Barnaby Joyce turning to the Nationals' leadership. Is that something that Labor is hearing? 

 

KING: Well it's really not a matter for us what the National Party does. But I think you can just see that this is, in the Prime Minister's own words, an absolute Muppet Show. Here you go again, leadership divisions in the National Party. I don't think it's any secret that Barnaby Joyce is destabilising his current leader. I don't think it's any secret that the Nationals are now looking for a new Leader and again this just adds to the absolute chaos you've seen from this Coalition Government. Not able to govern, not able to govern itself.

 

JOURNALIST: There's continued calls for all children to be removed from Nauru. Do you think that needs to happen? 

 

KING: Well we've said two things. The first is that as Shadow Health Minister I have been very clear that where there are clinical decisions for children, or even adults too, that need to be transferred to Australia for medical treatment, that decisions should be made by those clinicians, not by bureaucrats. They should be able to be made by those health care professionals. The second thing we've done is we've reached across the aisle and said to the Prime Minister we are happy to work with you in relation to New Zealand, we're happy to compromise on our position - we think the legislation the Government put in place in relation to blocking people coming here from New Zealand was pretty harsh but we've said we're happy to compromise. Because we know what is happening currently on Nauru in terms of the mental health of children, in terms of the continued health of many of those people who have lost hope that this Government will ever, ever resettle them anywhere, really does need to be resolved as quickly as possible. But what we saw from the Government this week was they seem to be dumbing down again, again using this circumstance for their own political gain - not actually looking after the people who at the end of the day they have a duty of care to ensure that they are getting the best health treatment they possibly can, and that they are treated with dignity and in accordance with the UNHCR.

 

JOURNALIST: Was it wrong for the former Labor Government to bring in that policy? 

 

KING: I think we learned the lesson that we needed to ensure that we were stopping the people smuggling trade. It is a terrible trade that preys on people. We learned obviously the lesson that there were people who died at sea as a result of that trade. We thought that it was an important policy and it has proved an important policy to have regional resettlement and to send a very clear signal to people smugglers that there will not be an outcome if you are selling this product to people. But what we also know is that that was not intended to be indefinite detention. It was not intended that detention would be used as a punishment or as a prison and that people would not be treated with dignity and care. And that's unfortunately what's happened under the Morrison Government. We think very strongly it is time the Government acted, we offered to compromise, if the Government is serious about getting children off Nauru it should take our offer. 

 

JOURNALIST: So if Labor wins Government you'll shut Manus and Nauru? 

 

KING: If Labor wins Government? We've said that we will in fact actually try and introduce a Private Member's Bill - we're looking at that at the moment in relation to transfers and health concerns of people. We're not intending to change our policy settings, we've made that really clear. But we do think there is an absolute health crisis happening. The people who are currently on Nauru have been there for over five years, that issue needs to be resolved very quickly. We cannot understand why the Government won't work with New Zealand, won't work with us to actually get a resolution to this issue.

 

JOURNALIST: Luke, you've marched in campaigns to bring those people here before the last federal election, do you think it's time to shut down those detention centres? 

 

GOSLING: Yeah I think Catherine was pretty clear about where the federal Labor position is. It's vital that we stop people drowning at sea, regional processing is important. All we've got now is people who are being irreparably damaged because of this situation of indefinite detention. So unfortunately in the past we've seen the Malaysia Solution was shut down. Now there's a New Zealand option as a way forward. So I would hope that the Government makes a compromise so that we can maintain strong borders but also get towards a bit of a humanitarian response for children who after five years are obviously not in a good way. 

 

JOURNALIST: Are you having a bit of a bob each way? On one hand you're saying we need to be tough to stop the boats from coming here, but on the other hand you're saying we need to be less tough and allow them to come? 

 

GOSLING: I think we do need to have strong borders and I do think we need to take medical professionals' advice when they're saying that children are being irreparably damaged. And I think anyone out there particularly if they've got their own kids would understand that the two can exist. We can have strong borders and we've already said we won't be changing our policies but what we have said is regional processing should not mean indefinite detention, should not mean that children are damaged. And if medical professionals say that some of these children are in a bad way and need further treatment that's what we should be doing.