With further industrial action planned by Tasmania's hard-working but critically under-resourced nurses next week, Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff must act now to ease unprecedented pressure on the health frontline.
Since pulling out of a trade mission to New Zealand claiming he was focussed on fixing the health and hospital crisis, Mr Rockliff has instead done the bare minimum to address the broken system.
Since then, we have seen the tragic death of a woman aged in her 70s who was ramped for nine hours while waiting to be admitted to the Launceston General Hospital.
Tasmanians along with frontline health staff are appalled that Mr Rockliff is in charge of a government that has done little more than provide nurses with free coffee and chocolates.
Our hardworking nurses and midwives are taking industrial action as a last resort.
They do not want to strike but under Mr Rockliff's weak leadership, they have been left no choice.
With further industrial action at the North-West Regional Hospital likely to go ahead on Wednesday, Mr Rockliff now has four days to come good on his repeated promises to act.
What will he do today to genuinely relieve the pressure on a system that is at breaking point after almost a decade of neglect from the Liberal Government?
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Health Minister
