Absent Assistant Health Minister Chris Davis recorded as voting on doctor contract Bill #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
THE powerful Ethics Committee could be called on to investigate how Assistant Health Minister Dr Chris Davis was recorded as voting on a doctor contract Bill when he was absent from State Parliament.
Dr Davis, who has not ruled out quitting if the Newman Government’s stoush with doctors over contracts is not resolved, said he had been granted personal leave from Parliament on Thursday night and was with his wife when the vote was taken.
But the LNP’s parliamentary party vote record sheet recorded a vote from Dr Davis against Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller’s attempts to amend a Bill designed to help break the impasse between doctors and the Government over contracts.
His vote is also included in Hansard, parliament’s official record of proceedings. The Government has chalked the incident up to a clerical error.
Ms Miller, however, called for the LNP to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee for investigation.
“There may be good reasons why Members have to miss a vote, but there are no good reasons why a Whip would include that Member when the votes are counted,” she said.
“It is hard to accept it merely as coincidence that Dr Davis’ vote was counted by the LNP even though he wasn’t even in the Parliament.
“He is the only LNP member to stand up for doctors, and the LNP would’ve been embarrassed if he voted with the Opposition as doctors wanted him to.”
Leader of the House Ray Stevens, however, said the incorrect count was simply a mistake.
“This is absolutely a clerical error and I will be speaking sternly to the deputy whips involved,” he said.
“It’s nothing other than a stupid mistake . . . by people who should be doing better.”
Dr Davis yesterday called for the voting record to be corrected.
“The absolute truth was I wasn’t there because of the recent bereavement in my family,” he said. “However I might have voted would have been immaterial.
“The only thing that now matters is whether senior doctors have a contract that they are prepared to sign; one which properly and reliably recognises doctors’ responsibilities to patients, employers and their profession,” he said.
“The Government has the power and the responsibility to get that correct, and it will only be achieved through ongoing negotiation rather than political posturing.”
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the State Government had taken every possible step to address the concerns of doctors.
“SMOs and VMOs across the state will have received their contracts, the contract addendum and now news that the Government’s changes have legislative backing,” he said. “The ball is in their court.”
Source: Courier Mail