While in Government, Labor paid $800,000 for ‘Razor Gangs’ to tell them how to cut health* – and Rebecca White was part of that.
In stark contrast we’ve spent the past four-and-a-half years hiring more staff, opening more beds and providing more services.
The KPMG and RDME reports cost under $100,000 and were to help guide improvements to the health system, in fact our investment into health since then has been more than half a billion dollars.
Reports like these inform policy development and are a worthwhile investment. It is important the Government can receive frank and fearless advice – that is a cornerstone of our system of Government.
This year, we added an extra $465 million to the health budget and then topped that up by $105 million last month.
We are investing $5 million targeted in the Royal Hobart Hospital ED, and that has been made available immediately to hire more staff.
We have shown time and again that health is a priority and that we will continue to invest - we have never shied away from the fact that there are demand pressures on the system.
That’s why we have a long-term plan for health, which includes nearly 300 additional beds, 1300 more staff and extra services.
* https://www.examiner.com.au/story/477718/health-razor-gang-costs-near-800000/
