Dr Christian Rowan and his wife Jane on the campaign trail before the state election. Pic: Mark Cranitch. Source: News Corp Australia
RAW wounds from the bitter doctors’ contract dispute reopened in Parliament last night as former Australian Medical Association Queensland boss Dr Christian Rowan railed against “unions, union sympathisers and apologists” and defended his actions during the negotiations.
Dr Rowan, now the LNP Member for Moggill, was spectacularly sidelined from the AMA campaign against individual contracts proposed by the Newman Government when he publicly stated he would sign one and described them as “driving productivity, efficiency and value for money”.
Debating industrial relations laws in Parliament, Dr Rowan slammed his enemies from the dispute.
“Never again having been democratically elected will I be denied my right of freedom of speech by rogue, unethical and unconstitutional governance processes bastardised by a few individuals, their unions and associated union sympathisers and apologists, primarily then in the Together Union and Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation,” Dr Rowan said.
He accused ASMO boss Dr Tony Sara of being a “left-wing union boss”.
Dr Rowan defended his role in the negotiations saying it was a balance between members, doctors, patients and the public.
“If there ever truly is a conflict of interest then choosing and prioritising the interests of the public and patients first and foremost,” he said.
Health Minister Cameron Dick returned fire at Dr Rowan and accused him of selling out.
“As head of the AMAQ he faces the dilemma of who he should support, his members, doctors, men and women who had voted for him to represent their interests or his LNP political mates,” Mr Dick said.
“He came out in favour of individual contracts which his LNP mates were pursuing and in doing so sold out his medical colleagues.”
He defended Dr Sara who he said had been “derided as a union thug”.
Under the Industrial Relations (Restoring Fairness) Bill, doctors forced on to individual contracts will be able to collectively bargain again.