weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

More documents

Recommendations

Info

23 Aug 2005 Matters of Public Interest 2571 outpouring of disgust at the machinations of government without thought to local issues. It was no renta-crowd. It was a situation that demanded action from the highest level. At this time the Beattie government assured the public of Maryborough that the opening of Hervey Bay Hospital would not cause a downgrade of services at Maryborough. Mr Beattie gave his personal guarantee that the hospital would maintain maternity services, intensive care services, a private ward, 24-hour operating theatre services, paediatric services and acute medicine. In 2005, just seven years later, every one of those promises has been broken. From 2002 the health district took the approach that, in order to maintain two hospitals under one district budget, it would be necessary to rationalise services. Though this was contrary to the spirit of the promises that were made, everyone could see that the government was continuing to erode services to Maryborough through stealth and that this was the only way to move forward without the support the government had promised. The need for the two hospitals not to duplicate services but to complement each other was accepted and understood by both the staff and the public. Unfortunately, from 2002 until around April 2005 we have seen in Maryborough the loss of birthing services, the 24-hour operating theatre close, the ICU downgraded to a high-dependency unit and the private ward closed. From Monday to Friday the operating theatre, far from being open 24 hours, has become an elective surgery site only. However, the public still had access to accident and emergency services at level 1, antenatal care, paediatrics and acute medicine. I know that most members of this House would be acutely aware of the fallout from the Bundaberg Hospital situation. But what they may not be aware of is that Maryborough Base Hospital has probably suffered more than any other hospital across the state as a result. In the three months since the crisis in Bundaberg the Maryborough Hospital has been reduced to a primary care facility. The accident and emergency department is now operating at a primary level. There has been a reduction in the operating theatre from level 2 to primary level. There is no longer a high-dependency unit. There are no acute medical admissions and no acute paediatric admissions. I ask the Premier: is this acceptable for an area with a population in excess of 35,000 people? There are many Maryborough residents who now have to drive past our own hospital to get the medical treatment they need. Others are taken as far afield as Nambour and Brisbane for treatment previously available in Maryborough. It is quite ironic that some patients are even being transferred to Bundaberg. As well as this, the nearby tourist attractions generate many thousands of tourists annually. It seems a little short-sighted that the government has seen fit to downgrade the more than adequate facility in Maryborough when the waiting times at Hervey Bay are so badly stretched already. We have undertaken community forums and held community rallies but still Mr Beattie is not listening. We want the government to assist us more meaningfully in recruiting medical staff. We want Queensland Health to rotate medical staff from metropolitan hospitals throughout the regional areas. We want Queensland Health to adequately resource our health district so that the strategies devised from 2002 to 2005 can be fully implemented. We want the government to keep its promise to maintain services at Maryborough Base Hospital. We want Mr Beattie to listen and act in our interests. Time expired. VP60 Celebrations; Cultural Fest Ms NELSON-CARR (Mundingburra—ALP) (12.14 pm): Townsville has once again excelled itself as a place where big events achieve overwhelming support from the local population. Over the last two weekends people have turned out in their tens of thousands for last weekend’s VP60 and this weekend’s Cultural Fest. On Saturday, 13 August it was estimated that about 75,000 people were attracted to the VP60 celebrations on The Strand. From Friday, 12 August, the day the Sunlander pulled into Townsville station, through to the peace announcement re-enactment the following Monday the city was awash with excitement and sentiment. As far as I am aware, the exact number of people who attended from interstate and overseas is not available but accommodation places were full. Looking back over the years to other stand-out celebrations, public response in Townsville has never faltered. I have said in this place before that if a spitting competition were held in Townsville people would turn out in droves. It has always been welcoming and full of enthusiasm. I refer to such occasions as the opening of the reconstructed Strand in October 1999, VP50 10 years ago, the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1992 and the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts in 1988 involving over 1,700 participant from 24 countries. Despite the unbridled success of VP60 in Townsville it was somewhat disappointing that it did not receive the media attention away from the city that it warranted. Of course, there was coverage by the bucket load locally but it never translated to coverage anywhere else in Australia. The critical role played by the Townsville in World War II as a supply and deployment centre for allied troops should have placed the city at the centre of attention for VP60. That did not appear to happen outside the garrison city.
2572 Matters of Public Interest 23 Aug 2005 I commend the organisers of VP60, the Townsville City Council and the sponsors and volunteer supporters who presented such a memorable few days. I also applaud the Beattie government and Queensland Rail on the complimentary rail journey from Brisbane to Townsville for the veterans and their families. Following hot on the heels of VP60, the three-day Cultural Fest last weekend was also outstanding. The 11th annual celebration of cultural harmony in Townsville, supported by an annual Queensland government $60,000 Multicultural Assistance Program grant, attracted a terrific turnout at The Strand Park. After VP60 one may have thought Townsvillians would be celebrationed out. That was actually far from the case. The Migrant Resource Centre of Townsville and Thuringowa again produced a first-class nonstop program mix of cultural diversity through stage entertainment, international food and global stalls. The event is a classic demonstration of friendship between races and nationalities. The fact that Townsville embraces it so enthusiastically really speaks volumes for the city. I am pleased to report that the Beattie government is committed to the Cultural Fest in 2006 and 2007 with a further $60,000 in grants. Having said that, I sincerely hope that the Greek Festival, another much loved and supported annual Townsville community event which did not happen this year for financial reasons, will gain the monetary backing it needs to resurface in 2006. Townsvillians really miss the Greek Festival. It has become very much a part of our community. It was good to have the Deputy Speaker visit Townsville recently to attend the Greek debutante ball and spend a bit of time in Townsville. Finally, can I offer my condolences to the families of the four young teenagers who were tragically killed in a road accident coming back from Cultural Fest on Saturday. They were driving out to Pallarenda. We have had seven deaths over the last few days in Townsville but none has affected our community as much as this absolute tragedy involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds. All were known to the local community. They were entering the prime of their lives. They have been tragically lost. To those families I offer my sincere sympathy. Bundaberg Base Hospital; Bundaberg-Burnett Mental Health Services Mr MESSENGER (Burnett—NPA) (12.18 pm): As members know, it has been quite a while since I was allowed to visit the Bundaberg Base Hospital. Members may remember that I tried to visit when the tilt train ran off the rails late last year at Rosedale, but the previous minister for health refused my request to visit the survivors and medical staff. I cannot think of any reasons why he was reluctant to allow me access to the hospital. It is not like he or the Premier were trying to cover up anything. If he had let me visit, I could have possibly met Dr Patel just before he was made employee of the month and given a pay rise. For the record, I have my tongue firmly jammed in my cheek. I do, however, have to compliment the new Minister for Health, Minister Robertson, who allowed me to tour the Bundaberg Base Hospital last Friday. At least he is showing a little more courtesy and political commonsense than the minister he replaced. That, unfortunately, is where the difference has stopped. The new health minister has continued the great Labor tradition of running down even further health services in Bundaberg and the Burnett. According to the manager of the Bundaberg Mental Health Unit, there are approximately 400 people suffering from mental illnesses and being cared for by community mental health workers. Those people now no longer have the option of in-patient mental health care at Bundaberg, because the new health minister has closed the in-patient beds—that is, approximately 16 beds. This Labor government says that it is a temporary closure, but the people suffering from mental illness and their families who are supporting them do not believe the Premier or the new health minister. The mental health workers themselves do not believe this Labor government. This service must be reactivated immediately or else lives will be needlessly placed at risk once again. In the past week I have met with or spoken to many mentally ill people who are afraid of what is going to happen to them and their families. What is going to happen to the young man who drives every weekend from Bundaberg to Toowoomba to see his partner, who requires intense psychiatric care? How is he going to afford the $300 trip when he is trying to pay off a mortgage and only earns $600 a week? What about the Bargara lady who cannot bear the thought of being separated from her partner because her mental illness has reduced her waking hours to a horrible nightmare and she just keeps telling you that she wants to lay down in her partner’s arms and die? What are we going to do for these people? How is the partner of that Bargara woman going to cope with taking care of his school-age children and his sick partner, who will most probably have to be transferred to Nambour? What about the woman who is suffering from a bipolar disorder who told me that she was physically ill when she heard on the TV that the Bundaberg in-patient facility was to be closed? I note that there was very little consultation with the community or, most importantly, with the patients. This person knows just how important this service is to our community. The lady with a mental illness I spoke to on Saturday knows just how many lives are saved by this mental health in-patient unit in Bundaberg.
Page 1 and 2: PROOF ISSN 1322-0330 WEEKLY HANSARD
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents — Tuesday, 23 A
Page 5 and 6: 2536 Papers 23 Aug 2005 PAPERS PAPE
Page 7 and 8: 2538 Ministerial Statement 23 Aug 2
Page 19 and 20: 2550 Scrutiny of Legislation Commit
Page 21 and 22: 2552 Private Members’ Statements
Page 23 and 24: 2554 Questions Without Notice 23 Au
Page 33 and 34: 2564 Members’ Ethics and Parliame
Page 35 and 36: 2566 Matters of Public Interest 23
Page 39: 2570 Matters of Public Interest 23
Page 45 and 46: 2576 Constitutional and Other Legis
Page 47 and 48: 2578 Transport Legislation Amendmen
Page 49 and 50: 2580 Transport Legislation Amendmen
Page 51 and 52: 2582 Housing Legislation Amendment
Page 53 and 54: 2584 Education (Queensland College
Page 55 and 56: 2586 Succession Amendment Bill 23 A
Page 57 and 58: 2588 Succession Amendment Bill 23 A
Page 59 and 60: 2590 Queensland Competition Authori
Page 69 and 70: 2600 Racing Venues Development Amen
Page 81 and 82: 2612 Plumbing and Drainage and Othe
Page 91 and 92:
2622 Plumbing and Drainage and Othe
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
2630 Child Safety Legislation Amend
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
2642 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005 One pa
Page 113 and 114:
2644 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005 years.
Page 115:
2646 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005 Finall
show all

weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?