With just one week of parliament remaining before the winter break, the next three sitting days present a critical opportunity to get to the bottom of the Liberals’ health job cuts.

Since the cuts were outlined in a leaked Health Department memo last week, the government has spun itself into overdrive peddling the misleading line that frontline health staff won’t be affected.

All jobs in the health service are important. With the health system already at breaking point, for the Liberals to suggest that cutting non-patient-facing roles won’t affect doctors, nurses and paramedics is downright dangerous.

After 10 years of the Liberals, the waitlist to see a specialist has more than doubled. More than 33,000 extra people are stuck on a waitlist compared to 2014.

We will not let this government get away with pretending there’s nothing to see here and everything is ok.

Labor will use the mechanisms of parliament to get answers for Tasmanians about the extent of these cuts and how the government plans to implement them.

Tasmanians also deserve to know exactly where the Jacqui Lambie Network and the two independents who have promised to support Jeremy Rockliff’s budget stand when it comes to gutting our health system, and whether or not it changes their commitment to propping up the Liberal government. 

Tasmania’s health system is sick enough as it is without wide-ranging cuts, and it can’t afford any more.

Anita Dow MP
Deputy Labor Leader