❓ Mr. Cook questions potential job cuts at WA hospitals, prompting a response from the Minister for Health denying widespread dismissals and attributing staff departures to natural attrition and fixed-term contracts. The Minister defends the government's health spending and efficient resource allocation.
AnsweredQoN 53Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITALS — STAFFING
53. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister
for Health:
I have a supplementary question. If
the Minister for Health will not rule out further job cuts at Sir Charles
Gairdner Hospital and any other hospitals around Western Australia, why will he
not detail those cuts now so that the staff who are living in fear of losing
their jobs can have the sword of Damocles removed from over their heads?
53. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister
for Health:
I have a supplementary question. If
the Minister for Health will not rule out further job cuts at Sir Charles
Gairdner Hospital and any other hospitals around Western Australia, why will he
not detail those cuts now so that the staff who are living in fear of losing
their jobs can have the sword of Damocles removed from over their heads?
AnswerView source ↗
A large number of staff, thousands of staff, at Sir Charles
Gairdner Hospital are either on long-term contracts or are permanent employees,
and they have no fear of their jobs being cut. T here is no chance of people, particularly permanently employed
staff, being dismissed. These people who are leaving are people on short-term
contracts or people who choose to retire. Nobody is being kicked out or sacked—not
one. The people who are going are those who are on fixed-term and short-term
contracts.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : As
I said, this is natural attrition and turnover. The reality is that those staff
members were employed beyond requirements. If the member for Kwinana had two
electorate staff members and he increased it to three, he would have to move
one out because he would have the funding for only two. These hospitals have
the funding —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Albany, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I call you to order for the second time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
gave that example as it was the only one I could think of. Any business that
has funding according to activity and gets funding for a certain number of
staff has to live within its means. If every hospital within our system was
employing hundreds of staff more than they need compared to similar hospitals
around Australia, we would blow the budget enormously. Health has already gone
from 25 per cent of total state expenditure to 27 per cent. Our funding for
health has increased significantly as a percentage of the total state
government spend. That is because we are getting out there and looking after
our hospitals to make sure that we have the best health system in Australia.
Gairdner Hospital are either on long-term contracts or are permanent employees,
and they have no fear of their jobs being cut. T here is no chance of people, particularly permanently employed
staff, being dismissed. These people who are leaving are people on short-term
contracts or people who choose to retire. Nobody is being kicked out or sacked—not
one. The people who are going are those who are on fixed-term and short-term
contracts.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : As
I said, this is natural attrition and turnover. The reality is that those staff
members were employed beyond requirements. If the member for Kwinana had two
electorate staff members and he increased it to three, he would have to move
one out because he would have the funding for only two. These hospitals have
the funding —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Albany, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I call you to order for the second time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
gave that example as it was the only one I could think of. Any business that
has funding according to activity and gets funding for a certain number of
staff has to live within its means. If every hospital within our system was
employing hundreds of staff more than they need compared to similar hospitals
around Australia, we would blow the budget enormously. Health has already gone
from 25 per cent of total state expenditure to 27 per cent. Our funding for
health has increased significantly as a percentage of the total state
government spend. That is because we are getting out there and looking after
our hospitals to make sure that we have the best health system in Australia.
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