The Federal Opposition says Health Minister Peter Dutton should help resolve Queensland’s doctors’ contracts dispute. #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
Federal Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King says there does not appear to be a back-up plan if Queensland doctors carry out their threat to resign en masse over the State Government’s public hospital employment contracts.
The Federal Court will this week hear an application by Queensland Health to try to stop unions from allegedly misrepresenting proposed employment contracts for doctors.
Queensland Health is seeking an injunction to stop the circulation of documents that it claims misrepresents the State Government contracts.
However, the Together Union says it is a bullying tactic to silence debate.
Hundreds of senior medical officers are refusing to sign new public hospital employment contracts and are threatening to resign en masse.
Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has ruled out an extension to the April 30 deadline for signing contracts, but has allowed any doctors who want to resign to give two months’ notice instead of three.
Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King says Federal Minister Peter Dutton should help resolve Queensland’s doctor contract stand-off.
“He certainly should pick up the phone if he has not done so already and speak to [Queensland Premier] Campbell Newman about this issue,” she said.
“It would be very concerning to me if I were the federal health minister of the potential of the state’s hospital system literally grinding to a halt.”
Ms King says Mr Dutton has been too quiet on the issue.
She says the consequences of mass resignations would be disastrous for Queenslanders.
“We did ask at Senate estimates whether any plans had been made contingencies if all of these doctors walked out of the public hospital system and what would the Commonwealth would do and there was literally no answer,” she said.
“I think it is incumbent for the Federal Health Minister to have a view on these issues and actually potentially intervene where he can with his Liberal-National colleague.”
Doctors to meet in Brisbane
Meanwhile, Cairns-based anaesthetist Dr Sean McManus, from the Keep Our Doctors Taskforce, says the State Government must also extend the April 30 deadline for signing the contracts.
Dr McManus says the doctors have welcomed the Government’s concession to allow them to give two months’ notice if they resign.
He says while that has given doctors some breathing space, more time is needed for negotiations to continue.
“There are hundreds of resignations coming through every day – what was initially a trickle with a few brave doctors putting themselves forward is now turning into a flood,” he said.
“Those resignations are being held by the Together union and the ASMOF [Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation] union.
“We don’t actually want those resignations to go ahead, but everyone who’s signed up for this is prepared for those resignations to be submitted.”
He says doctors will meet in Brisbane tonight to discuss their next move in the long-running stand-off.
“None of the doctors involved in this actually want to see that mass resignation enacted while there’s movement and while there’s hope that decision will be delayed as long as possible,” he said.
“That is a step that we will only take should there be no hope of any further negotiation between the Government and our nominated representative.”