Giddings prefers TV cameras to accountability

. With only 12 question times left before the election, the Liberals believe Ministerial accountability is more important than cheap media opportunities for Ministers

· Pair was offered – following Question Time

· Giddings turned down offer of bipartisan approach to Prime Minister

· Minister refused to reveal how much Dame Catherine Elcoat trips cost Tasmanian taxpayers

Health Minister Lara Gidding’s confected rage about missing a media opportunity with the Prime Minister is yet further evidence of how out of touch Labor is.

That Ms Giddings would prefer to swan about in front of the cameras with Mr Rudd rather than answer to the Parliament says it all.

More tellingly, despite being in Parliament, Minister Giddings refused to answer my very reasonable question about the total cost to Tasmanian taxpayers of the five visits to Tasmania by British health bureaucrat, Dame Catherine Elcoat.

The facts of the matter are these:

– Ms Giddings spent at least part of the day with Mr Rudd yesterday, providing ample opportunity to ask the Prime Minister for funds for the RHH – apparently she didn’t;

– The Government approached the Liberal Opposition at 4.49pm last night asking for the pair, despite it being long known that the Prime Minister would be in Hobart today with a “health focus”;

– A pair was offered for Ms Giddings– at the conclusion of question time when Mr Rudd is scheduled to still be touring the Royal;

– This morning, at 9.50am, following a further request from the Government, a pair was offered to Ms Giddings on the proviso that the Shadow Health Minister, Mr Whiteley, join her in a bipartisan approach to the Prime Minister;

– Unsurprisingly, this offer was refused, proving categorically that the pair request was all about Ms Gidding’s thirst for cheap media coverage and nothing at all about the genuine interests of Tasmanians.

If Ministers had answered questions succinctly this morning, Question Time would have concluded earlier, allowing Ms Giddings to depart earlier for the Royal. The fact that Ministers rambled on well past the four minute time limit, without even answering questions, shows what they thought of her trying to duck Question Time for a photo opportunity too.w
Brett Whiteley MP Shadow Minister for Health and Human Services