Senior Cairns doctors ready to walk off the job over public hospital contract dispute with Newman Government

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Senior #Cairns doctors ready to walk off the job over public hospital contract dispute with Newman Government #qldpol #keepourdoctors

CAIRNS’ senior doctors have threatened to walk off the job unless the Newman Government renegotiates proposed public hospital contracts.


Hundreds of Cairns Hospital staff, medical students and supporters gathered at The Esplanade yesterday to protest against the new employment arrangements.

Doctors have until April 30 to sign the individual work contracts but many declared they would rather resign.

“These are the same contracts that our senior executives are on, that run businesses,” director of medicine Dr Peter Boyd said.

“Where profitability is the only motive.

“This is not the way to run a health system. We need a mixture of hard heads and soft hearts but this is a hard-headed document.”

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said all concerns regarding contracts could be worked through by the local hospital and health board.

“This is about delivering additional, better quality and more patient care,” he said in a statement yesterday.

In advice provided to the Australian Medical Association Queensland, barrister Dan O’Gorman SC branded the contracts “draconian” and would result in doctors being worse off.

He said the contracts did not provide for matters such as public holidays, overtime and on-call allowances.

James Cook University medical student Charlotte Durand expressed concerns about what a mass walk-out would mean.

“To think that we might lose the ability to train, practise and do internships in Queensland if enough doctors do resign because of these contracts is a big worry,” she said.

Cairns and Hinterland Mental Health clinical director Janet Bayley said while she didn’t want to desert her patients, she couldn’t support the contract.

“A great person said the mark of a civilised society is how we treat our most disadvantaged,” she said.

“Well I wonder what’s happening to Queensland because if we take away the ability of good, world-class specialist doctors to work in the public system, then the most disadvantaged aren’t going to get a fair go.”

Senior Medical Staff Association president and surgeon Dr Roxanne Wu said the Far North faces losing specialists.

“Not only does the contract make us completely powerless, the existence of a ‘health employment directive’ is a sinister development in a relationship with an employer and employee,” she said.

She said the loss of even one key doctor would cripple Cairns Hospital and make it unable to give proper care.

Source: Cairns Post