Dick Adams MP
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR LYONS
Media Release 24 May 2007
ADAMS SLAMS THE PROCESS OVER HEALTH
CHANGES IN TASMANIA
Federal Labor Member for Lyons Dick Adams has slammed the process and the consultation during the handling of the changes to Tasmania's Health System announced today.
Hon Lara Giddings, State Minister for Health and Human Services announced Tasmania's New Health Plan this afternoon.
Simultaneously meetings between senior DHHS management and staff members occurred across several sites affected by the changes.
From Canberra where Federal Parliament is sitting this week Dick Adams has slammed the approach taken whereby staff and in some cases residents were informed of the meetings a few days ago. However, they were not informed of the detail.
Rural communities are sick of not being listened to and having changes forced upon them.
"The whole process undertaken appears to be driven by the need to save money and not the need to provide services to communities. The decisions made have been based upon financial need not community need."
"The whole process has been flawed from the start" Mr Adams said.
"I raised several concerns about the process of consultation in my submission to the Primary Health Care Issues Paper and have spoken at length with the State Minister yesterday. Some communities were only given a couple of days notice before the consultation meetings were held. This is not good enough and with holes like this in your processes you are going to have bad outcomes."
"I am seeking to have the community to come back into the process, by setting up local committees so that any major changes can be talked through and accepted before anything is implemented."
Dick Adams is available for comment on ph: 02 6277 4293 or at Dick’s Perth Office, 53b Main Road Perth, ph 03 6398 1115.