Health Minister Guy Barnett’s claims that frontline staff won’t be affected by the Liberal-Lambie coalition’s upcoming health budget cuts have been extraordinarily contradicted by his own department.

In response to the ANMF saying they had received an assurance that nurses and midwives would be spared from the Liberal-Lambie health cuts, the Health Department told media that cuts to those frontline roles were still very much on the table.

This directly contradicts Minister Barnett’s claims that “In terms of frontline workers, let’s be very clear. There will be no cuts.”

Alarmingly, the Health Minister has been unable to define what a frontline worker is – but if nursing and midwifery roles aren’t considered frontline, it is very difficult to see what would be.

Last week in Parliament Labor tried to get the Government to provide clear information about the extent of the cuts across government but the Liberals fought tooth and nail to keep the extent of their cuts secret, despite concern from health workers growing louder and louder by the day.

Tasmania’s health workers are stretched to the limit. They do an incredible job under difficult circumstances, and it’s abundantly clear the health system can’t afford any cuts.

RTI documents have revealed that at least 700 jobs across the health system are on the chopping block – for the sake of our health workers and patients, Minister Barnett needs to abandon his plans to cut jobs or at least finally come clean and reveal exactly where in the department these Liberal-Lambie cuts will be made.

Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Minister for Health