Tim Nicholls under pressure to release cabinet documents

Tim Nicholls has today demonstrated he cannot be trusted with health care in Queensland, after failing his first credibility test in his Budget reply.

Before a patient can be considered for elective surgery they need an appointment with a specialist.

Under the former LNP government, more than 100,000 Queenslanders were left waiting longer than clinically recommended for these appointments.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick said it was clear that the Leader of the Opposition did not understand the difference between outpatients and elective surgery waiting lists.

“Tim Nicholls simply does not get it,” he said.

“Under his watch, more than 100,000 Queenslanders could not even get onto the waiting list for elective surgery - they were simply ignored and left in the waiting room.

“The LNPs wait time gimmick did nothing to help these people and if Tim Nicholls knew the first thing about the health system he would know that.”

Mr Dick said Mr Nicholls’ budget reply did nothing to allay the fears for thousands of Queensland health staff that a return to the LNP would mean a return to savage job cuts and uncertainty about employment conditions.

“Mr Nicholls is clearly living in the past. He just can’t let go of his plans to sack frontline health workers,” Mr Dick said.

“Instead of charting a course for the future he is stuck looking in the review mirror.”  

The LNPs discredited wait time gimmick provided $77 million for television ads and consultants and nothing for surgeries and patients.

Not only was the gimmick a con‑job, but not one single patient was ever treated under the scheme.

“If Mr Nicholls believes in the program, he should come clean and release the cabinet documents which show how this ‘properly costed’ ‘$500 million program’, as claimed by the LNP, was going to benefit Queensland patients,” Mr Dick said.

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