Doctors, public servants in April Fools Day protest #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
Two groups of the Newman government’s most vocal critics joined forces for an April Fool’s Day protest outside State Parliament on Tuesday night.
The Together Union, representing public servants, and doctors in dispute with the government over contracts organised the protest attracted hundreds of boisterous protesters as Parliament sat inside.
Together president Vivienne Doohan led the crowd in a chant of “we’re no fools” shortly before 6pm, as the sun set over Brisbane.
Ms Doogan told the crowd the Newman government’s track record showed it could not be trusted.
Natural Resources and Mines policy officer Rachel Barley said she had worked for the government for 20 years.
She said public servants had looked on in horror as 14,000 of their colleagues were sacked.
“Is there anyone here who can say it’s not going to happen to them?” she said.
“…I don’t take a holiday – I’m too scared to take long service leave because I’ll need it [if I’m retrenched].”
Cairns Hospital senior medical officer Sandy Donald said his fellow anaesthesiologists were prepared to resign en masse over the issue of enforced contracts.
“If there are no anaesthesiologists, there are no operations,” he said.
“No pain relief for women in labour.”
The biggest boos were reserved for Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie, who was represented on stage as a pantomime villain, complete with top hat and black cape and a Bleijie face mask.
Source: The Age