Speaker-to-be Peter Wellington will consider the arguments of both Annastacia Palaszczuk and Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg. Source: News Corp Australia
SPEAKER-in-waiting Peter Wellington may decide the fate of the former Newman government’s much-vaunted patient surgery guarantee.
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg yesterday flagged plans to put a motion to Parliament so Queensland’s 89 MPs could decide if the guarantee continued.
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Health Minister Cameron Dick has committed to scrap the guarantee, labelling it a “gimmick”, and replace it with “targets” for on-time surgery under nationally recognised treatment timelines.
The Opposition’s motion would bind the Palaszczuk Government to keeping the guarantee, which ensured patients received their surgery at either a public or private hospital free.
However it would require the support of Mr Wellington as well as Katter’s Australian Party MPs Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth in Queensland’s hung Parliament.
Mr Wellington said he wanted to hear the arguments of both Labor and the LNP before making a decision.
“I will be waiting to see what both sides say about their respective positions,’’ he said.
Wait Time Guarantee scrutiny 2:02
Premier Palaszczuk is questioning the funding and effectiveness of the LNP’s surgical Wait Time Guarantee scheme, which only began less than 3 weeks ago
- TEN
- 18 Feb 2015
- News
“I haven’t made a firm decision on who is right and who is wrong.”
Mr Dick announced this week that hospitals would be required to ensure 98 per cent of category 1 patients receive surgery within 30 days, and 95 per cent of category 2 and 3 patients within the clinically recommended times of 90 days and a year, respectively.
Mr Dick said the former Newman government’s surgery guarantee had been discredited because of the raft of exemptions and the large number of patients seeking specialist appointments to get on the waiting list.
However Mr Springborg said Mr Dick’s targets were below what Queensland Health was already achieving, and the performance could slip without the guarantee’s compulsion to provide on-time surgery.
“Unfortunately this Government is more interested in the views of bureaucrats and union bosses,’’ he said.
“They are letting down the patients of Queensland who want to know they can get their surgery on time.”
Mr Springborg said Labor made no mention of scrapping the guarantee during the election.
“Given that this Government did not seek the mandate… to abolish Australia’s first on-time surgery guarantee, we will be taking this matter to the Queensland Parliament so that Queenslanders can decide on this important issue through their member of parliament,’’ he said.