The Health Minister, Lara Giddings, has today contradicted the Premier, David Bartlett, about the desire for a Federal takeover of Tasmania’s hospitals.
Asked at the People’s Debate last Tuesday night if he supported the Commonwealth taking over Tasmania’s hospitals, Mr Bartlett said:
“…and I would say for the simple handing over hospitals, no.”
Yet this morning on ABC radio, Ms Giddings said she supported a Commonwealth takeover of Tasmania’s hospitals:
“If you are to end the blame game, if you are to close the gaps, then I think you need the one level of government responsible.”
Not only has Ms Giddings contradicted Mr Bartlett the second he leaves the State, it is also clear that Ms Giddings has given up fixing Tasmania’s health system and would simply prefer to abrogate her responsibility to Canberra.
We categorically oppose handing responsibility for our hospitals to Canberra.
Things are bad enough as they are, and we don’t believe that outcomes will be improved if they were run out of Canberra.
The Tasmanian Liberals will take responsibility for delivering better health outcomes in Tasmania, and we have a plan to achieve it.
Brett Whiteley MP Shadow Minister for Health and Human Services
