Voters back doctors, not government

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Voters back doctors, not government #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors

Voters in four key LNP-held electorates have backed the state’s senior doctors in their dispute against the government, a poll shows.

The ReachTEL poll, commissioned by the Keep Our Doctors group, surveyed more than 600 residents in Cairns, Ashgrove, Ipswich West and Mundingburra last week, about their concerns over the doctor contracts issue.

In Ashgrove, held by Premier Campbell Newman with a 5.7 per cent margin, 31.2 per cent of the 739 respondents rated the state government’s performance managing the public health system as “very poor, with 22.5 per cent rating it average. More than 60 per cent were opposed to the government forcing doctors on to the individual contracts and 74.1 per cent believed bringing in more foreign doctors would have a “negative” impact on the public hospital system.

ASMOF – Ashgrove poll – 26 March 2014

More than half of those surveyed were “very concerned” doctors would leave the public system and 54 per cent claimed they were “less likely” to vote LNP at the next election. For 32.5 per cent of respondents, their vote remained unchanged, while 13.5 per cent were “more likely” to vote for Mr Newman.
In Cairns, where the LNP’s Gavin King holds the seat with an 8.9 per cent margin, 64.6 per cent of the 668 residents surveyed responded they were “less likely” to vote LNP, while 12.3 per cent said they were “more likely”. Just under 70 per cent of people said they were “very concerned” doctors would leave the public system and 53.1 per cent believed the public health system was worse under the management of the LNP government. Nearly 75 per cent of people were opposed to doctors being forced onto contracts and 81.3 per cent believed additional foreign doctors would have a “negative impact” on public hospitals.

ASMOF – Cairns poll – 26 March 2014

Similar results were posted for Sean Choat’s electorate of Ipswich West, where he sits on a 7.2 margin and David Crisafulli’s seat of Mundingburra, which he holds with a margin of 10.2 per cent.

ASMOF – Mundingburra poll – 26 March 2014

ASMOF – Ipswich West poll – 26 March 2014

Across the four electorates, 67.7 per cent of respondents were opposed to the contracts, with just 17.5 per cent in support.

Keep Our Doctors spokesman Rob Thomas said the government needed to return to the negotiating table “to avert this health disaster”.

Doctors will meet again on Monday night to discuss the next step in the contract dispute, with mass resignations still on the table.

Opposition health spokeswoman, Jo-Ann Miller, said the government needed to listen to the doctors.

“The doctors have said and they have always maintained, that they don’t mind signing contracts, however they will not sign work choice type contracts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Miller said a federal court action brought by the state government to stop the unions from spreading what it describes as “misleading information” about controversial senior doctor contracts was about the government “shutting down discussion and shutting down…people talking about issues that are against what their agenda is”.

Queensland Health director-general Ian Maynard said unions had nothing to fear and could continue discussions with doctors.

“We are in no way trying to stop unions or professional medical associations talking to doctors,” Mr Maynard said.

“I’m actively encouraging unions to engage with doctors, but that engagement has got to be based on the truth.”

But Together Union secretary Alex Scott said the union had been honest and accused the government of stifling debate.

“It doesn’t surprise us that the government is taking such extreme measures to try and close down a discussion which clearly the Queensland community is gravely concerned about and the medical profession are gravely concerned about,” he said.

“Rather than addressing those concerns, the government is now trying to find more and more outrageous legal tactics or bullying and intimidation to try and stop what is an important community discussion.”

The April 30 signing deadline still stands.

Source: AAP