Tuesday, 29 October 2024

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Health. The government is hiring a new executive director, health service financial performance and capability. This new role will be responsible for ‘ensuring that cost-saving targets are met and addressing any shortfalls with decisive action’. Does decisive action include recommending job and service cuts?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:19): I welcome the question on budgeting in our hospitals, because it does give me an opportunity to remind the member on the other side that only at the last budget our government invested an additional $8.8 billion in multiyear funding to our health services, ensuring that they have certainty year on year to deliver the care that Victorians need and deserve. Of course we have seen extraordinary growth and demand in our system. We met with and talked to our health services, and we were happy to then provide some additional funding to meet the 6 per cent growth that we have seen in the demand in our system. I need to remind members in this place that in the last quarter our health services saw record demand – 503,000 presentations to our emergency departments. But at the same time –

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this new role is responsible for cost-saving targets, and I ask the minister to come back to the question put.

The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant. I cannot tell the minister how to respond to the question, but the minister was being relevant.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I was making the point about what our hospitals do with the record funding that they receive from our government. I talked about the demand on the system, but it is also an opportunity for me to point out that in the last financial year more planned surgeries were delivered in our health service system than have ever been delivered before, and you can only do that when you get record funding.

Emma Kealy: On a further point of order, Speaker, again on relevance, the minister is meandering from the question, which was about this massive new role which is all about implementing cost-saving targets. I ask you to bring her back to the question.

The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant. I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Of course this year alone we are investing $20 billion into our hospitals. When you add the rest of our health funding, that is approaching around 30 per cent of the state’s budget being invested into health care. When you invest that money into health care, you expect that it is being used wisely. We make no apologies for ensuring that this substantial investment, record investment of $25 billion, is used with a focus on delivering the frontline services and care that Victorians expect. Of course I am really proud, as I said before, of the achievements that have been delivered in our health service system despite the unprecedented demand.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is now debating the question. It was a very narrow question, which was around an executive director role whose job is to ensure that cost-saving targets are achieved.

The SPEAKER: The minister will come back to the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: If the member was listening to my answer, she would have heard me say that we do not shy away from the fact that we want to ensure that the $20 billion invested into our hospitals alone – 25 per cent of the entire state budget – is focused on the delivery of frontline care.

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:23): The Premier has admitted that there will be back-office job losses in the health system. Why then is the government hiring –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I ask members to be respectful of other members on their feet, from both sides of the chamber.

Emma KEALY: The Premier has admitted that there will be back-office job losses in the health system. Why then is the government hiring this new back-office executive director with a salary of up to $419,000 a year?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:24): Again I take the opportunity to reinforce that, when we invest $20 billion every year into our hospitals, we expect that that funding be focused on the delivery of frontline care. Unlike those on the other side of the house, we have been very, very proud to deliver a 28 per cent pay increase to our nurses through the latest EBA. We look after our health sector workers –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for South-West Coast, I will not warn you again.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this is about a back-office job being paid $419,000 a year when frontline health services are being cut.

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order?

Emma Kealy: Relevance, Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I ask members to state their point of order before they make a statement to the house. The minister was being relevant to the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: If only we could have seen the same passion from those on the other side when the Liberal government was busy closing Eildon –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the minister has not yet dealt with the substance of the question or the substance of the supplementary at any time in their answer.

The SPEAKER: The minister will come back to the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I make the point that we will not be closing hospitals; that is what those on the other side do. That is their record in government, and it will never change.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, this is a very narrow question. I ask you to bring the minister back to the question. On relevance, it is about a very highly paid job and around cuts; it is not about service delivery in any way at all.

The SPEAKER: The minister will come back to the question. The minister has concluded her answer.