weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

2642 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005
One patient waited 17 days before being seen by a senior consultant, even though they were a patient
in intensive care.
What is happening in mental health services is an absolute tragedy for our health system. If there
is one area that the government should look after, it is health—mental health, maternity, accident and
emergency, medical wards and providing surgery on time—not all the PR stunts that the Beattie
government goes on with. We are seeing the results of this in the closure of hospitals, the service level
at Bundaberg Hospital, and now the disgraceful level of service that is being provided at the mental
health service in Toowoomba. This government has totally failed the patients of Toowoomba, the Darling
Downs and south-west Queensland when it comes to the provision of mental health services. Unless it
pulls up its socks and provides some staff and provides decent levels of doctors, then it will only get
worse.
Time expired.
Torres Strait Islands, Erosion
Mr O’BRIEN (Cook—ALP) (9.38 pm): The islands of the Torres Strait are slowly being recognised
by a greater number of visitors as an exceptional and unique tourist destination. The islands of Yorke,
Warraber and Coconut are amongst the most beautiful locations in Australia and each has developed
infrastructure to deal with tourism. Some of the accommodation, like the cabins built at Coconut Island,
is of a four or five star standard. There are self-contained cabins at Loweta Lodge on Yorke Island or
Masig. Warraber Island has also recently received funding for resort style accommodation.
Unfortunately, however, these three of the centrally located sand cays have experienced
significant sand erosion in recent years. The situation was made considerably worse late last month
when a combination of storms, high tides and strong winds saw large chunks of the islands disappear.
These islands are only a few square kilometres in area and the erosion is causing great
concern amongst the 300-odd locals who live on each of the cays in question.
When visiting Warraber Island on 4 August I noticed that the southern tip of the island had
retreated a further 20 metres and a long stretch of the eastern side had retreated by 10 metres. Roads
have been washed away and a further catastrophic event will threaten the island’s water storage facility.
On Yorke Island the church of St John the Evangelist, which should probably be on Queensland’s
heritage register, was threatened by storm waters despite being situated nearly 50 metres from the
normal high tide mark. Coconut Island has also felt the effects of the event. It has also lost roads and is
in danger of losing the cabins I mentioned earlier. The smallest of the Torres Strait sand cays, Coconut
has the least leeway before other infrastructure, like houses, is threatened.
State and federal agencies must act immediately to assist the island councils with short- and longterm
solutions before these wonderful places are washed away. Whether we fast-track natural disaster
relief fund money or find money through the Natural Heritage Trust, we must act quickly to support these
communities. In the long run there can be no doubt that the Australian government must start taking the
very real issue of global warming seriously.
These three islands are only a couple of metres above sea level. If the conservatives are wrong—
and the weight of scientific opinion suggests they are wrong—and they take no action to address global
warming, I fear for the future of these cays and the culture they house. The ongoing erosion on the
island cannot simply be put down to normal weather patterns. There has been steady erosion over the
last few years and, as I said, a more marked event last month. Historically there has been a circulation
of sand around the islands. This time large chunks have disappeared completely. I urge those with the
power and the resources to intervene on behalf of Warraber, Poruma and Masig.
Health System
Ms LEE LONG (Tablelands—ONP) (9.41 pm): We all know that the state of Queensland Health is
so serious that it is in a state of near collapse—a category 1, so to speak. A constituent in a coastal part
of my electorate near Innisfail has contacted me and disclosed the prostate problems he has had to
endure over a long period of time—10 years in fact. It began in 1995. I will read a letter he has written to
me. It states—
It is with interest I see the current ads/information on TV about the ‘be a man’ and have your prostate checked. What is the point
of pushing the ‘be a man’ and have your prostate checks if there is no follow through for patients that have been checked and
have a problem! I have been on the waiting list to have something done since 1995! In 1995, I saw a specialist in Brisbane who
said something needed to be done.
He goes on to say that he was put on Minipress, a blood pressure tablet, to help him pass urine.
He says that he can only pass very small amounts of urine at a time and has to go to the toilet
frequently, trying from 18 to 22 times a day. He says that at no time is he able to empty his bladder
completely and only passes the overflow. He says—
This leaves me in distress and discomfort constantly! Last year I was admitted to my local hospital and had a catheter put in. The
pressure from having the problem for so long caused leakage around the catheter which was embarrassing and uncomfortable as
well as demeaning to my self esteem.