The Beagle Editor,
If any further confirmation was needed surely today must be it?
The government has just ‘prorogued’ NSW Parliament 5 days early, meaning that today, Friday 24 February 2023, the Parliament, and government legislative activities and privileges, go into official caretaker mode.
Most relevant to our region, where does that now leave both the promised hospital access roundabout start AND the commencement of the New L4 hospital build about which we have recently posted some comments (ONE- One New Eurobodalla Level 4 Regional hospital | Facebook)?
The roundabout was boastfully announced by ex-Health Minister Hazzard to begin late last year. Even more egregiously, the same Minister, echoing Premier Berejiklian’s 19 Dec. 2019 commitment , repeatedly announced during last year’s By-election campaign that our New Hospital would start construction “during the term of the present government”.
That term ends at conclusion of business hours today.
Unless a hasty media window-dressing exercise to make it look good is organised by the outgoing government before the end of the day which, by its very timing, could only ever be seen as clearly for electioneering purposes, this is a significant promise to our community effectively broken.
How incredibly disappointing for all of us and especially for our stressed regional healthcare workforce who deserve infinitely more respect than the disengaged and uncaring attitude this morally wayward behaviour reflects.
Ex-Minister Hazzard has failed to keep his word to our Community after all he publicly said about our own local healthcare advocates.
Retirement is the one decision this ex-Minister has got right in his political career. In our view, clearly not a moment too soon.
In reality, during the last five years of our community struggle he has given us nothing of any real substance other than condescension and promises.
This (and slavishly following the diktat of NSW Health senior bureaucrats) is not a template of Ministerial conduct to be wisely emulating either. Our counsel to ex-Rural Health Minister Bronwyn Taylor? Look, listen and learn!
Fitzroy and Mylène Boulting
Head Petitioners 2021 New Hospital & 2022 Local Radiotherapy Petitions
ONE New L4 Eurobodalla Regional Hospital Advocates
Editor's Note: The created position of Rural Health Minister has done little for the region with the exception of ribbon cutting, broad brush electioneering rhetoric and capitalising on the accomplishments of others. This week we saw Labor's Jenny Aitchison comment that the regional health portfolio had created confusion about who is responsible for healthcare.
The Daily Telegraph reported: "Regional Health Minister Bronnie Taylor seized on Ms Aitchison’s comments to say that Labor will ignore the bush. “Labor is dumping the regional health portfolio so they can say that it’s failed, they want the focus on that, so they can take the focus off what we have delivered in just twelve months,” she said. “These actions confirm the Regional Health Inquiry was nothing more than a political stunt from a party that does not care about anyone past Western Sydney.” The Minister for Regional Health knows full well that the Regional health Inquiry received 720 submissions, made 22 findings, and produced 44 recommendations and that her own government accepted 41 of the recommendations in full or in principle. Now it appears she is of the opinion that the Inquiry was "nothing more than a political stunt". This comment, as reported in the Daily Telegraph by James O'Doherty might well be considered an insult to the 720 applicants who described the parlous nature of rural health services, the terrible outcomes for themselves and their families, and the Liberal National NSW Government’s failure to provide safe medical care to the communities of rural, regional, and remote NSW including South East NSW
Member for Bega, Dr Michael Holland said "I personally made a submission on behalf of ONE - One New Eurobodalla hospital group and was told by the Minister that I should just go back to work.
"This echoes the response by the current Minister of Health, the Hon Brad Hazzard MP, to metropolitan Emergency specialists who revealed the desperate situation in NSW Accident & Emergency departments.
"With these attitudes, and after 12 years of deterioration in health care in NSW, this Liberal National government does not deserve another term in office".
Above: Promises Are Made To Be Kept, Not Broken.
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