The Tasmanian Greens Leader Nick McKim MP today called on the Liberal Party and Legislative Council to rule out any attempt to block the May State Budget, describing the threat as irresponsible and reckless.
“It’s hard to understand why the Liberals and some Legislative Councillors would threaten to withhold the pay of Tasmania’s nurses, teachers, police and emergency workers,” Mr McKim said.
“All this threat does is create more uncertainty for the public servants who would cease receiving wages if the Budget gets blocked, and any responsible member of the Upper House should immediately rule out such a move.”
“Tasmania is the only jurisdiction in the country where the Upper House has the power to force a election by blocking supply, but where its Members aren’t also required to go to the ballot box at the same time.”
“It’s easy for Legislative Councillors to make these kinds of threats when they don’t have any skin in the game.”
“If they think it’s OK to block the pay of nurses, police and teachers, then they should also have the gumption to be accountable for that decision at the ballot box.”
“The Greens aren’t ruling out tabling legislation to fix this anomaly.”
“This is also a matter of personal credibility for Will Hodgman, who promised to guarantee supply before the last election, and who is now leaving open voting against the Budget,” Mr McKim said.
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• Richard Colbeck
SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK
Senator for Tasmania
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science
M E D I A R E L E A S E
26 April 2012
Giddings’ Cabinet colleagues continue to attack Tasmanian economy
The push by Tasmanian Cabinet minister Cassy O’Connor to classify the entirety of Tasmania’s state waters a whale sanctuary is sending negative messages to prospective investors in the State, Tasmanian Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck said.
“Ms O’Connor attempts to compare her proposal to declare all Tasmanian waters a whale sanctuary with a marine park declaration by the West Australian Government last week which included two sanctuary zones and a whale conservation special purpose zone,” Senator Colbeck said.
“The difference between Ms O’Connor’s lock-it-all-up proposal and the West Australian approach could not be more stark.
“Sanctuary zones exclude all recreational and commercial fishing, including aquaculture, and any oil or gas exploration and extraction.
“Ms O’Connor tries to make her proposal sound benign and feel-good but the reality is it would wipe out our wild catch fishing industry, close down our world-renowned aquaculture industry of salmon, trout, oysters, mussels and abalone, and even prevent families from enjoying recreational fishing.
“Not to mention the impacts on other sectors including commercial shipping.
“Ms O’Connor’s suggestion that her proposal would cost nothing is laughable.
“Tasmanian fisheries alone have a gross production value in excess of $560 million a year.
“There is little wonder prospective investors are confused about doing business in Tasmania. Investors understand the implications, even if the Premier does not,” Senator Colbeck said.
• Mercury Saturday: Wilkie’s health takeover ace
TASMANIAN Independent MP Andrew Wilkie will strike while the iron is hot to push Prime Minister Julia Gillard for a federal takeover of the state’s ailing health system.
With new political clout in Canberra in the wake of the Peter Slipper scandal, the member for Denison will talk to the State Government next week about the possibility of a federal takeover.
Mr Wilkie told the Mercury yesterday that he had arranged the meeting with the Government and would be calling on the Prime Minister to make Tasmania a takeover trial for the rest of the country.
If a federal takeover is not possible, he will call for an immediate injection of funds into the state’s system, which is being described by local health professionals as being “in critical condition”.
He described the present shared funding model between federal and state governments as “muddled”.
“There has to be a federal takeover it is inevitable. And the problems we are dealing with in Tasmania are the same problems they are going to encounter in other states,” he said.
“We have reached a state of crisis before the other states so we should trial it first in Tasmania.”
The Gillard Government is more reliant on Mr Wilkie’s support after House of Representatives Speaker Peter Slipper stepped down over sexual harassment allegations.
Mr Wilkie is watching the developments closely.
“We are yet to see if the events in Canberra give me the power to do more for the public health system in Tasmania,” he said.
“I am not in a position to make promises. But health care remains one of my top priorities.”
As part of a deal to help Julia Gillard form Government, Mr Wilkie negotiated $340 million in federal funding for the upgrade of the Royal Hobart Hospital.
However, the office of federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek yesterday hosed down the possibility of a takeover or any new injection of funds.
A spokesman said: “The Commonwealth Government will contribute $2.5 billion to the Tasmanian health system over the next decade.
“The Commonwealth is not contemplating a takeover of the Tasmanian hospital system or indeed the hospital system in any state or territory.”
• GREENS WELCOME WILKIE SUPPORT FOR FED HEALTH FUNDING TRIAL
State Must Retain Local Control Of Health Admin
Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Health Spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today said the Federal Government now had to take seriously calls for a health single funder model for the state, after independent MP Andrew Wilkie added his voice in support of the Greens’ and the AMA’s calls for such a trial.
Greens Health spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP also warned that any Federal Government takeover move must retain local control over health administration.
“Tasmania’s health system is riddled with inequities, inefficiencies and duplication, and the Greens believe a single-funder model for hospitals could be one step toward getting health onto a long-term sustainable footing,” Mr O’Halloran said.
“With Mr Wilkie now showing an interest in a single funder health trial in Tasmania, the Federal Government should now be less inclined to dismiss this proposal out of hand, as it has in the past.”
“Regardless of the health funding model that’s in place in Tasmania, it’s vital that we retain local control over health services delivery to ensure they are efficiently targeted to local needs.”
“It has been disappointing that neither State nor Federal Labor have driven this as a priority up to now, and it’s even more disappointing that the Liberals have only been interested in negative grandstanding.”
“It would be a big step, but if we want to avert a major public health crisis in the coming decade we need to start seriously looking at radical reform of the health funding model.”
“This is an issue where the majority of health experts and practitioners are in agreement, and the Greens stand ready to work constructively alongside Mr Wilkie and anyone else to make sure it happens.”
Mr O’Halloran reiterated that the Greens had held a health stakeholders’ forum last year, from which there was unanimous support for a single finder model to be implemented as a matter of urgency.
“Tasmania’s health system is headed for a major crisis without fundamental changes to the delivery model for healthcare,” Mr O’Halloran said.
LINK: Click here to download the Greens’ Health Stakeholders Forum Report
http://mps.tas.greens.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Greens-Health-Stakeholders-Forum_Summary-Report_Nov-24-2011.pdf
