Queensland health minister Cameron Dick discussing health funding with premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in the lift at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Photo: Tony Moore
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has put the previous LNP government’s “Wait Time Guarantee” for Queensland hospitals under the funding microscope.
Meanwhile slicing the threshold for political donations being declared back to $1000 will be in Labor’s first batch of legislation when parliament resumes, she said.
Touring the Princess Alexandra Hospital at Buranda on Wednesday morning, Ms Palaszczuk said she was worried about the source of funding for the Wait Time Guarantee scheme.
Under the LNP’s Wait Time Guarantee patients were promised an operation in a hospital – private or public – if they had not received an operation within the set timelines for their category of care.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had concerns about the source of funding for the scheme.
“I want to see very clearly where the money is coming from,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Was it budgeted for; these are clear issues that we want to know the truth about and Queenslanders want to know the truth about,” she said.
New Health Minister Cameron Dick said Labor has received mixed information about the scheme and wanted to assess the funding and its effectiveness.
“There is a difference between what Mr Springborg says and what the Premier and I and so many Queenslanders hear, from our fellow Queenslanders.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and new Health Minister Cameron Dick spent an hour touring new facilities at the Princess Alexandra Hospital; including tele-health facilities and meeting with nurse trainees.
Mr Dick said Queensland hospitals would feel the impact of a reduction in federal health funding outlined in last year’s federal budget.
“They are going to have a huge impact on what is happening in our hospitals,” Mr Dick said.
“Our task is to get to the bottom of what is happening and that is going to be my priority,” he said.
Pressed about the Wait Time Guarantee, Mr Dick said he was also cautious about the funding for the health promise.
He said the real issue for Labor was the “wait” for a person to actually get to an outpatient clinic after seeing their GP.
“The delay from getting a GP appointment to getting an outpatient appointment,” he said.
“They’re the things that we need to look at,” he said.
“It can’t be a guarantee if you can’t get an appointment.”
“So all of those things are under review and we’ve just started the process.”
The previous government’s Wait Time Guarantee began after the patient had an outpatient’s appointment and did not include the time between seeing a GP and seeing a specialist in an outpatient’s appointment.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had met Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and emergency services senior staff on Wednesday morning to be briefed about the large storm bearing down on Queensland.
“I will be making further comments later this afternoon, or tomorrow morning,” she said, telling reporters that the State Disaster Coordination Committee would meet today.
Meanwhile, legislation will be introduced into state parliament to reduce the political donation threshold to $1000, Ms Palaszczuk said.
“The commitment we made during the election campaign about changing the thresholds back to $1000; I would anticipate that would be one of our first pieces of legislation introduced into the Queensland Parliament,” she said.
“I have been very serious about integrity and accountability issues,” she said.
“This is something that Queenslanders want and I want that implemented as soon as we possibly can.”