Gillard's $100m hospital backflip MORE LABOR FAILURES

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EGG on face yet again for this failure of a govt..... LIes Lies and more LIES from them...

Prime Minister Julia Gillard reverses Labor's Victorian hospital funding cuts

THE $107 million cut to Victorian hospitals has been reversed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Ms Gillard announced the backdown in what she called a "rescue package" that could be passed on to hospitals immediately.

Hospitals have announced plans to cut about 20,000 elective surgeries over the next four months, close 350 hospital beds, shut overnight emergency departments and axe staff because of the funding brawl between the federal and state governments.

The hospitals affected ranged from the Royal Children's, The Alfred and Peter MacCallum to Bendigo, Colac and Lilydale.

It will be paid for through the extraordinary step of ripping away other money earmarked for Victoria for occupational health and safety and will "count against" future projects

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/prime-minister-julia-gillard-reverses-labors-victorian-hospital-funding-cuts/story-e6frf7kx-1226582182228

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Gillard, Plibersek try health funding scam

THE Prime Minister pro tem Julia Gillard has been forced to restore a $107 million cut to Victorian hospitals.

Typically, the Gillard government has lied about the action.

In doing so, the disgraceful Tanya Plibersek, one of Gillard’s kitchen coven of men-hating Emily’s Listers, has been further revealed as a failed Health Minister.

Both Gillard and Plibersek attempted to blame the Victorian Liberal government for the federal Labor-Green-Independent minority government’s stuff-up.

But the Victorian government has been supported in its claims that the Gillard government used outdated figures to justify its slashing of the hospital budget.

According to reports in The Herald-Sun, the architect of Medicare John Deeble slammed the federal government’s budget cuts and described the misuse of population figures to justify them as “contentious” and “extraordinary” in a submission to a Senate inquiry. 

They deliver cuts that should be spread over several years in just a single year,” he said.

Evidence to the same Senate inquiry which begins hearings in Melbourne today also shows the federal government ignored the advice of the Australian Bureau of Statistics when recalculating population growth.

Victorian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale said the backdown by the government came on the eve of a Senate inquiry forced by the Greens that would have embarrassed it.

“It appears that the government manipulated ABS data to justify the cuts,” he said.

Federal Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton said the Gillard Government had been incompetent.

“Doctors and nurses have been put off and people contacted to have their elective surgeries cancelled,’’ Dutton said.

“Tanya Plibersek should be ashamed and should resign.’’

And pigs might fly.

Victorian Health Minister David Davis welcomed the return of the 2012-13 funding as a “first step”, but said he would push for ongoing cuts to be returned over the next three years.

“The Federal Government now needs to follow up and restore the full amount of $475 million,” he said

Mr Davis said the cuts had crippled Victoria’s health system and it would take a long time for the impact to be reversed, even with the return of this year’s funding.

Gillard, who held a taxpayer-funded “community Cabinet” meeting in the South Australian Liberal seat of Boothby last night to promote the local Labor candidate, claimed her backdown would deliver what she called a “rescue package”.

This is clearly the new model for Labor spin.

Create a problem, then rip borrowed money out of other areas of government expenditure to apply a temporary fix.

What is a political game for Gillard and Plibersek is a chilling horror for those involved.

Hospitals in Victoria have announced plans to cut about 20,000 elective surgeries over the next four months, close 350 hospital beds, shut overnight emergency departments and axe staff.

The hospitals affected ranged from the Royal Children’s, The Alfred and Peter MacCallum to Bendigo, Colac and Lilydale.

The so-called fix will be paid for through the extraordinary step of ripping away other money earmarked for Victoria for occupational health and safety and will “count against” future projects. 

Showing pure spite, Gillard accused Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu of running a “a disingenuous and purely political campaign”.

She said the state was to blame for the cuts because it managed the hospital system and despite receiving other federal money, it had decided to hurt patients.

But the funding cut was announced in Treasurer Wayne Swan’s Budget update in October and based on a complex formula and controversial population estimates that Victoria said were outdated.

Who do you believe? Not Gillard and Plibersek. 

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/piersakerman/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/gillard_plibersek_try_health_funding_scam/

[catsnknots]

This is all about trying to get votes..... nothing more and nothing less. 

If the government is really doing something wrong then they should not get the money... if that claim is false then they should get it. 

take away the cash and say what a bad LIBERAL government they are... then give back the money and say what a good labor government we are... 

Maybe there is a problem with the Federal Labor Governments program where they can take away that much money from a State Government without any thought to the consequence. 

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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/prime-minister-julia-gillard-reverses-labors-victorian-hospital-funding-cuts/story-e6frf7kx-1226582182228

Mr Davis said the cuts had crippled Victoria's health system and it would take a long time for the impact to be reversed, even with the return of this year's funding.

Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the money would be paid directly to hospitals and would bypass the Baillieu Government.

"The money will not pass through the hands of the Baillieu Government, which has proven itself to be a cruel and incompetent manager of the Victorian health system," she said.

"For two years Premier Baillieu's blatant disregard for the welfare of Victorian patients has seen beds close, elective surgery waiting lists blow out and standards of care decline."

''This funding injection will go directly to frontline hospital administrators so they can immediately restore services shut down by the Baillieu government in recent months.''

The funding cut was announced in Treasurer Wayne Swan's Budget update in October and based on a complex formula and controversial population estimates that Victoria said were outdated.

The State Government said it was outrageous because it had changed the amount of funding in the middle of the financial year.

Ms Plibersek said the State Government had used it to cover up its own $616 million health funding cuts.

She said federal funding for Victoria's health system was increasing by $900 million over the next four years to $4.5 billion a year by 2015.

Federal Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton said the Gillard Government had been incompetent.

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http://www.bendigoweekly.com/news/accusations-continue-over-delay

Accusations continue over delay

BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.

The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.

The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.

Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.

Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.

“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.

“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”

Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.

The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.

“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,

“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.

“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”

Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.

“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.

“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”CommentsAnthony Radford | Bendigo Weekly | 11-Jan-2013

«»

Australia's largest construction union has hit back at claims it could be behind any delays to Bendigo’s $630 million hospital redevelopment.

Last week, Health Minister David Davis told the Bendigo Weekly court action taken by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union could delay the project further.

CFMEU national secretary Dave Noonan poured scorn on Mr Davis’ comments and accused the State Government of lying.

“Look at the court transcripts. The government didn’t say this will delay the project, in fact the opposite,” he said.

“It should be of concern to the people of Bendigo that the government is saying one thing to the public through the media and another thing to the courts.

“They are either lying to the people or lying to the courts.”

One of the two tenderers for the construction, Lend Lease, has an agreement with the CFMEU that could see its tender disqualified.

Under new government guidelines, companies with such agreements cannot win government contracts.

The guidelines were introduced more than a year after tenders for the project were called for.

Mr Noonan said the government unexpectedly introduced a third stage of the tender shortly after Christmas.

“They said there was a timetable, a timetable that has mysteriously changed,” he said.

“It seems they have introduced further red tape.

“Everything this government has done has seemed to delay the onset of the construction.”

Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan has labelled Health Minister David Davis “desperate” for trying to shift blame.

“By their own actions Bendigo’s new hospital, which was to have started by the end of last year, is now months behind schedule,” she said.

“The government could have left the new Bendigo hospital out of their code given the tender process had already started.

“They didn’t and now Bendigo is paying the price with a tender process in chaos and running months late.”

“The only people responsible for this dog’s breakfast are Ted Baillieu and David Davis.

“It is their actions that have caused the problems. Instead of finger pointing, it’s about time Ted ...

[stellan*river]

how is one going to read all that, just a link would be better,

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http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/1266853/state-health-data-doesnt-compute-says-steve-gibbons/

State health data doesn’t compute, says Steve Gibbons By BLAIR THOMSONJan. 30, 2013,

MEMBER for Bendigo Steve Gibbons has again accused Bendigo Health bosses of deceiving the community.

Mr Gibbons revealed the impact of recent budget cuts yesterday despite a Bendigo Health media embargo on the information. 

He said Bendigo Health chief executive John Mulder and chairman Michael Langdon had ignored Victorian government cuts. 

“Dr Langdon and Mr Mulder have deliberately deceived this community by again failing to even mention the savage health cuts that Ted Baillieu has inflicted on Bendigo Health that are clearly evident in their own budget papers,” Mr Gibbons said. “Bendigo Health’s media release indicates that the cost-saving measures will reduce elective surgery by 600 cases between Easter and June 30.

“Dr Langdon and Mr Mulder would have us believe that a $2.9 million reduction in funding will result in a drop of 600 elective surgeries, while a cut of $15.2 million, which has already resulted in a 283-case reduction according to available data, will have no further effect.”

Mr Gibbons said some of the changes had been planned before the budget cuts and that the federal cuts were the implementation of “indexation arrangements”. 

“I understand that a proposal to amalgamate the orthopaedic, surgical and medical wards had been under consideration for some time, again well before the federal government’s indexation arrangements were implemented,” he said. 

“The cost savings announced (yesterday) by closing 24 beds, made up of eight beds from each of the surgical, medical and orthopaedic wards, will have precisely the same effect as amalgamating the wards.” 

But Mr Mulder said state cuts were delivered in a planned manner but the federal cuts had come in the middle of the financial year with only two weeks’ notice. 

“When government revenues are increasing by only 3 per cent, it becomes a mathematical certainly that our governments and our community will have nothing left for policing, social welfare, public housing... many of which are the social determinants of health,” Mr Mulder said. 

“We might end up with a great health system, but a very sick population at the door trying to get in. 

“The amount promised by the state government has stayed the same; the amount promised by the federal government has reduced for the rest of this year by $107 million. 

“The payments to Bendigo Health from December have been reduced by about $200,000 per payment.”

The state and federal health ministers will meet for 45 minutes at Melbourne Airport on Friday to discuss the cuts.

Related coverage: 

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Video: Bendigo Health cuts explained

Patients will suffer, AMA president warns

Bendigo Hospital waiting list to rise after 'unprecedented' cuts

Editorial: Mental health deserves the right treatment

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how is one going to read all that, just a link would be better,

Read it or not.Up to you 🙂 Some people don't like c&p, some don't like links...can't please everyone and I don't have to 🙂

[twinkles**stars]

Victoria is a very Liberal state....hoping for votes? Does a link provide less reading than a c&p? lol

[izabsmiling]

Hi TS, Yes it is currently a Liberal State.

.In both cases it would depend how much (if any) someone wants to and chose to read .:-)