Labor to launch ‘Stop the Cuts’ campaign
Image: Health Minister Jillian Skinner. Source: NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health
The New South Wales Labor Party is set to embark on a six week ‘Stop the Cuts’ campaign focusing on funding for health, according to an email circulated to campaign teams and candidates this week.
The email outlined a six-week campaign program focusing on State Government cuts to health services.
“Organisers will be in touch with MPs this week,” it read.
A member of NSW Labor, who preferred not to be named, was able to confirm the campaign is going ahead.
NSW Labor leader John Robertson outlined Labor’s opposition to Liberal health expenditure in his budget reply.
“The Baird Government should be deeply ashamed that today there are 72,000 patients across NSW suffering in pain with a 4 per cent increase in the elective surgery waiting list,” he said.
Health Minister Jillian Skinner disagreed with this, arguing that the NSW Liberal Government had delivered increased health expenditure in the June budget.
“Under the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government there have been no cuts to the health system. The health budget is 20% larger than when Labor were last in office – in 2014/15 it is a record $18.7 billion with an additional $1.3 billion for capital works.”
Mr. Robertson noted that despite an increase in funding, “we’re seeing the community lose access to health-care – an entire ward closed at Prince of Wales”.
Ms Skinner further chastised Labor’s protest campaign, saying it would affect patients negatively.
“Labor’s campaign is nothing more than scaremongering – they put politics first and patients last.”
Australian Medical Association NSW President Dr Saxon Smith said federal spending cuts flowed through to NSW.
“While the 5.2% increase is in line with past years, the NSW Government has had to absorb funding for programs previously funded by the Commonwealth Government. In our view, health growth funding needs to increase by approximately 7 per cent per annum in order to maintain the current level of services.”
The Sydney Local Health District budget will be boosted by $56 million to $1.47 billion. Included in this figure is a contribution of $17.5 million to continue works on the $67 million Missenden Mental Health Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown.
However, this figure is only a 3.9% increase, well below the 7% required according to Dr Smith.
