Assistant Health Minister Chris Davis felt ‘absolute obligation’ to raise concerns about doctor contracts #keepourdoctors
It was the letter the assistant minister for health said he had to write.
Chris Davis’s missive, addressed simply to his fellow MPs, created a flurry of activity within the government on Monday night.
The letter, obtained by Seven News, called on the government to return to the negotiating table with the state’s senior doctors over the contentious individual contract issue.
Members of the media had seen it.
But government MPs, gathered together for their party room meeting, reportedly had not.
In the letter, Dr Davis stated in no uncertain terms that “contracts that could harm patients and be detrimental to the broader community make my position in this government untenable”.
Those words, reported almost immediately after the party room meeting broke, sparked speculation in media reports and on social media, that Dr Davis had resigned or was threatening to.
But speaking to Fairfax Media late on Monday night, Dr Davis said he remained in the role for as long as “the premier considers me the best person for that job”.
As a medical specialist with The Prince Charles Hospital and past president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland in a previous professional life, Dr Davis has strong ties to the state’s medical community.
Well liked and well respected within the party, Dr Davis said he “absolutely” stood by his letter and had written it after speaking with specialists whose opinion he trusted, as he felt an “absolute obligation to share that information”.
His rebellion on the issue, which he had attempted to keep within the party room meeting walls, came just days after Ipswich West MP Sean Choat publicly declared he would vote against asset sales.
Then, deputy premier Jeff Seeney said “disunity is death” in politics.
And by late last night, Dr Davis appeared resigned that the government would not be shifting from its “negotiations are over” stance, stating that while the “re-opening of negotiations is not an option”, there were opportunities to develop “strategies around communication”.
In his letter, Dr Davis said Queensland Health and its patients could pay the price for the government’s strategy of “command and control”.
“As MPs, we have an individual and collective responsibility to constituents to ensure that Queensland’s public hospital system operates the best possible governance arrangements,” he wrote.
“…confrontation with our medical workforce carries an unnecessary and significant risk for all key stakeholders, especially patients.
“Unreasonable power over senior doctors may be sought by some, but the cost will be borne by others.
“Drawing on my knowledge and experience of leadership in health care, the best solution in the public interest is to return to the negotiating table in good faith, using the agreement in Victoria as a reference point.”
While Dr Davis said he was “comfortable” that he did what “needed to be done” – passing on his concerns to his colleagues.
Not sharing what he had been hearing from senior doctors would have left him “uncomfortable”.
He said he remained committed to Queensland Health and its workers, as well as his assistant ministry.
The Opposition seized on the momentary disharmony within the government over the issue, issuing a statement late on Monday evening welcoming Dr Davis’s comments.
It is the second time in less than a week the Opposition has found itself in agreement with a LNP MP.