❓ Mr. Cook questions potential hospital staff cuts, prompting a heated exchange with the Minister for Health, Dr. Hames, who defends the government's position and accuses Mr. Cook of political opportunism.
AnsweredQoN 601Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITALS —
STAFFING
601. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. If
the minister is so confident that there are not staff cuts, will he undertake
to detail the hospital staffing profiles and movements in those staff for each
hospital across the metropolitan area?
STAFFING
601. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. If
the minister is so confident that there are not staff cuts, will he undertake
to detail the hospital staffing profiles and movements in those staff for each
hospital across the metropolitan area?
AnswerView source ↗
I do not mind doing that over probably the next six-month
period, until the end of the financial year, because that is the time we will
be looking at the —
Mr
M. McGowan : It has to be dragged out of you! It was leaked from Sir Charles
Gairdner; now we reveal Rockingham. We have to drag it out of you!
Mr
R.H. Cook : Which one is next?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : What was leaked was that Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital had to
look at its total number of staff, because it had had a surge—I forget
the figures I gave Hansard yesterday; I passed them across. I think it was a 7.6 per cent increase in
staff over 18 months for only a 2.5 per cent increase in activity. So its staff
numbers surged past the numbers they should have been.
Mr
R.H. Cook : Sir Charles Gairdner at the weekend, Rockingham today —
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Pardon?
Mr
R.H. Cook : Sir Charles Gairdner at the weekend, Rockingham today—which
hospital will it be tomorrow?
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member for Kwinana is just making a story out of nothing!
Mr R.H. Cook : So
it's not true?
Dr K.D. HAMES : If
this state —
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana! Just answer the question, please, minister.
Dr K.D. HAMES : If
this state ever had the misfortune of having the member for Kwinana on this
side doing Health, then he would be in exactly the same position because he
purports to support the Reid review. The state supports the Reid review, and
the member for Kwinana should be sticking behind the recommendations rather
than running off at a tangent just for his own political convenience.
period, until the end of the financial year, because that is the time we will
be looking at the —
Mr
M. McGowan : It has to be dragged out of you! It was leaked from Sir Charles
Gairdner; now we reveal Rockingham. We have to drag it out of you!
Mr
R.H. Cook : Which one is next?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : What was leaked was that Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital had to
look at its total number of staff, because it had had a surge—I forget
the figures I gave Hansard yesterday; I passed them across. I think it was a 7.6 per cent increase in
staff over 18 months for only a 2.5 per cent increase in activity. So its staff
numbers surged past the numbers they should have been.
Mr
R.H. Cook : Sir Charles Gairdner at the weekend, Rockingham today —
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Pardon?
Mr
R.H. Cook : Sir Charles Gairdner at the weekend, Rockingham today—which
hospital will it be tomorrow?
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member for Kwinana is just making a story out of nothing!
Mr R.H. Cook : So
it's not true?
Dr K.D. HAMES : If
this state —
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana! Just answer the question, please, minister.
Dr K.D. HAMES : If
this state ever had the misfortune of having the member for Kwinana on this
side doing Health, then he would be in exactly the same position because he
purports to support the Reid review. The state supports the Reid review, and
the member for Kwinana should be sticking behind the recommendations rather
than running off at a tangent just for his own political convenience.
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