Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has called off a media event in northern Tasmania after being heckled by protesters from the state’s health unions.
Mr Hockey arrived in Launceston this afternoon to board a boat and inspect the results of silt-raking on the Tamar River.
He was greeted by about a dozen health union members angry about the possible closure of a Launceston rehabilitation unit, the John L Grove centre.
The centre will run out of federal funding next month and the nursing union has launched a petition to keep it open.
The protesters accused Mr Hockey of being too cowardly to speak with them.
Mr Hockey moved his scheduled media conference to the boat, where he was asked why there was no money in the budget to keep the John L Grove Centre open beyond next month.
“The previous Labor Governments, state and federal, they just didn’t provide any money,” he said.
Mr Hockey did not speak with protesters as he left the boat.
Federal Liberal member for Bass Andrew Nikolic told the group that the funding was not being cut but rather had only been committed for 18 months.
Mr Hockey also cancelled his next scheduled media event – a walk through Launceston CBD to meet local business owners.