❓ Ms. Freeman questions the Minister for Health on the benefits of reversing the privatisation of non-clinical services at Fiona Stanley Hospital. The Minister responds by criticising the previous Liberal-National government's privatisation and highlighting the improvements from bringing services back in-house.
AnsweredQoN 106Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIONA STANLEY HOSPITAL — NON-CLINICAL SERVICES CONTRACT
106. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's decision to undo the
privatisation of key services at Fiona Stanley Hospital and bring these
jobs and services back into public hands. Can the minister outline to the house
how the decision to roll back the Liberal–National government's
privatisation of key services will further support the delivery of high-quality
care at Fiona Stanley Hospital and will ensure that patients are put first?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
106. Ms J.M. FREEMAN to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's decision to undo the
privatisation of key services at Fiona Stanley Hospital and bring these
jobs and services back into public hands. Can the minister outline to the house
how the decision to roll back the Liberal–National government's
privatisation of key services will further support the delivery of high-quality
care at Fiona Stanley Hospital and will ensure that patients are put first?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
AnswerView source ↗
I
would like to thank the member for her question. The member reminds me of one
of the great truisms of Australian politics—that is, Liberals
privatise hospitals; Labor prioritises hospitals.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.H. COOK : We remember
the nightmare of the Liberal–National government back in July 2011 when
it privatised hospital services across Fiona Stanley Hospital —
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr R.H. COOK : It locked it
away for a 20-year period, binding the Western Australian taxpayer to one of
the most incompetent contracts in living memory.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, it is
not a debate. I will call to order anyone who interjects—last warning.
Mr R.H. COOK : This contract
was so incompetent—let me give members an example, Mr Speaker.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Riverton, I know you are in
the departure lounge, but you still get called to order.
Mr R.H. COOK : Under the
contract, Serco Australia orderlies were allowed to push patients around, but
they could not touch the patient. The Department of Health had to recruit over
100 extra orderlies simply so that they could manage the patient onto the
wheelchair, but then the Serco employee had to push the wheelchair. We had this
completely disconnected, dysfunctional and disorganised contract to which the Western
Australian taxpayer was bound to for 20
years. Yesterday I was proud to join the Premier at Fiona Stanley Hospital to
announce that key , non-clinical-patient support services would no longer
be run by Serco, resulting in up to 650 jobs being brought into the public
sector to be part of our great WA Health workforce.
The public health system is for
people, not profits. We cannot have a situation in which our health system is
held to ransom by long-term contracts that no longer fit the needs of the WA
public. We can afford this particular measure because the government has done
the hard yards to get the state finances back under control. We can now invest
to bring these services back in-house to make sure that we provide the best
quality health care in this country, if not the world. What we have done is
focus on patient-facing services as our priority, and we are meeting a solemn
commitment that we made to the people of Western Australia that, when we can
afford it, we will bring the services back in-house. I hear the New Right up
the back of the opposition benches, bleating about this, because he knows that
we have laid bare by these measures the incompetence of those on the other side
as they seek to privatise our services while we have a government that is all
about making sure that public services are there for the public. This is not
the purest expression of the policy.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Wait, member
for Moore; there is more!
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Moore, Deputy Leader of the National Party, I call you to order for the first
time.
Mr
R.H. COOK : There are still some
21 service-line items that will remain in Serco's hands, because we
wanted to make sure that this policy was a measured and affordable
approach. We wanted to make sure that this was a policy that met our commitment but at the same time ensured that we did not put
an unnecessary burden on the WA taxpayer . I want to commend Serco and
its CEO, Mr Mark Irwin, for the great way it has worked with this Labor government.
It has commended us, and, by its actions, it has condemned the opposition.
would like to thank the member for her question. The member reminds me of one
of the great truisms of Australian politics—that is, Liberals
privatise hospitals; Labor prioritises hospitals.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr R.H. COOK : We remember
the nightmare of the Liberal–National government back in July 2011 when
it privatised hospital services across Fiona Stanley Hospital —
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr R.H. COOK : It locked it
away for a 20-year period, binding the Western Australian taxpayer to one of
the most incompetent contracts in living memory.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, it is
not a debate. I will call to order anyone who interjects—last warning.
Mr R.H. COOK : This contract
was so incompetent—let me give members an example, Mr Speaker.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Riverton, I know you are in
the departure lounge, but you still get called to order.
Mr R.H. COOK : Under the
contract, Serco Australia orderlies were allowed to push patients around, but
they could not touch the patient. The Department of Health had to recruit over
100 extra orderlies simply so that they could manage the patient onto the
wheelchair, but then the Serco employee had to push the wheelchair. We had this
completely disconnected, dysfunctional and disorganised contract to which the Western
Australian taxpayer was bound to for 20
years. Yesterday I was proud to join the Premier at Fiona Stanley Hospital to
announce that key , non-clinical-patient support services would no longer
be run by Serco, resulting in up to 650 jobs being brought into the public
sector to be part of our great WA Health workforce.
The public health system is for
people, not profits. We cannot have a situation in which our health system is
held to ransom by long-term contracts that no longer fit the needs of the WA
public. We can afford this particular measure because the government has done
the hard yards to get the state finances back under control. We can now invest
to bring these services back in-house to make sure that we provide the best
quality health care in this country, if not the world. What we have done is
focus on patient-facing services as our priority, and we are meeting a solemn
commitment that we made to the people of Western Australia that, when we can
afford it, we will bring the services back in-house. I hear the New Right up
the back of the opposition benches, bleating about this, because he knows that
we have laid bare by these measures the incompetence of those on the other side
as they seek to privatise our services while we have a government that is all
about making sure that public services are there for the public. This is not
the purest expression of the policy.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Wait, member
for Moore; there is more!
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Moore, Deputy Leader of the National Party, I call you to order for the first
time.
Mr
R.H. COOK : There are still some
21 service-line items that will remain in Serco's hands, because we
wanted to make sure that this policy was a measured and affordable
approach. We wanted to make sure that this was a policy that met our commitment but at the same time ensured that we did not put
an unnecessary burden on the WA taxpayer . I want to commend Serco and
its CEO, Mr Mark Irwin, for the great way it has worked with this Labor government.
It has commended us, and, by its actions, it has condemned the opposition.
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