With his government facing a corruption and integrity crisis never seen before in Victorian state politics, Daniel Andrews and Labor have today been exposed again - this time for hiding the record elective surgery waiting list numbers.
Despite individual health services providing current elective surgery waitlist numbers to the Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee, the Andrews Labor Government has refused to disclose the latest state-wide figures.
This morning, the pandemic committee released its latest report, with the Minority Report recommending that while pandemic orders are still in operation, the Andrews Labor Government must provide weekly updates on elective surgery waitlists across the state and each health network.
Victoria's elective surgery waitlist was already at a record 50,000 people prior to COVID-19 as the Andrews Labor Government provided our hospitals with less funding and fewer staff than any state in the nation.
Now, after the world's longest lockdown and Australia's only state-wide Code Brown, the elective surgery waitlist has continued to increase.
Concerningly, the minority report also found that "the committee heard examples of a failure by the government to plan for the ongoing management of elective surgery wait lists", which would leave more Victorians in pain for longer.
Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier, said Victorians would never get the health system they deserve whilst Labor continues to put spin and politics ahead of people.
"This crisis hasn't been caused by COVID but from years of underinvestment and mismanagement by the Andrews Labor Government."
"Daniel Andrews has run the health system as Minister or Premier for 11 of the past 15 years. He cannot escape responsibility for this crisis."
"Now, instead of clear answers and a plan to fix the mess he has created, all we get is more spin, cover-ups and political games."
"Only the Liberals and Nationals have real solutions to end Labor's health crisis, halve the elective surgery waitlist and provide Victorians the care they deserve."
