Tuesday, 10 September 2019

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:07): My question is to the Minister for Health. Why are Victorian nurses on the Platypus ward at the Royal Children’s Hospital working 18-hour shifts?

 Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (12:08): I thank the member for her question. I can advise the house that all of our nurses and our doctors—in fact all the staff working in our hospital system—are absolutely dedicated to the task of supporting Victorian patients, and I particularly take this opportunity to thank them for the incredible work that they do each and every day and the dedication that they bring to the task. I have had the opportunity now to visit many of the wards in the Royal Children’s Hospital, and I have been very impressed with the incredible work that our nurses are doing at the Royal Children’s. I know that they have been absolutely supportive of the families whose children have had to have medical treatment at the Royal Children’s, and I have been really privileged to have had the opportunity to meet so many of them.

What I would say also to the member is that we as a government have been very supportive of our dedicated nurses and midwives right across our health system, including at the Royal Children’s. This is why as a government we enshrined nurse- and midwife-to-patient ratios in legislation to protect their working conditions—in fact in direct response to what Ms Crozier and Mr Davis were doing—

Ms Crozier: On a point of order, President, the minister has not gone anywhere close to answering my question, which related to why nurses on Platypus ward, which she has not even referred to, are working 18 hours.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister has been giving some context, but I will call the minister back to the question.

Ms MIKAKOS: I know it is difficult for Ms Crozier to accept that we actually enshrined into law nurse- and midwife-to-patient ratios, a direct response to what Mr Davis and Ms Crozier were seeking to do during the nurses enterprise bargaining agreement dispute that occurred when the Liberals were in government, where they sought to whittle away their conditions—

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister! I also call the people to my left to order during the minister’s contribution.

Ms Crozier: On a point of order, President, the minister has 30 seconds left. She has not even gone close to answering this question except to attack the former government. I ask you to bring her back to answering the very simple question that I asked: why are nurses working 18-hour shifts on Platypus ward at the Royal Children’s Hospital?

The PRESIDENT: I uphold the point of order and ask the minister to come back to the question.

Ms MIKAKOS: We are very proud as a government that we back our nurses. We know Ms Crozier was very happy to take a pay increase when she was working in the profession. She was not prepared to back her former colleagues, but she was happy to take the pay increase. We have supported our nurses through enshrining the ratios into legislation, giving them fair wages and conditions—

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Mr Finn!

Mr Davis: On a point of order, President, we are now 13 seconds from the conclusion of the answer. She has mentioned the Royal Children’s Hospital once in passing and has not mentioned Platypus ward at all. She needs to answer the question.

Ms Shing: On the point of order, President, perhaps the points of order that are being raised would have a little more currency if there were not constant interjections and catcalls from across the chamber that have significantly broadened the scope of what the minister was going to.

The PRESIDENT: Thank you. I am prepared to give weight to both of those points of order. It is very difficult for me to hear the minister’s answer. There is provision for me, if the question is not answered, to call for a written response. I call the minister back to the question.

Ms MIKAKOS: I know it pains those opposite for us to remind them of their record when it comes to waging war with our nurses and midwives in this state. We back our nurses and midwives. This is why we have made sure that they are paid fairly and that they are protected through nurse-to-patient ratio legislation as well.

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:13): I note the minister did not mention Platypus ward and those nurses on that ward once during the answer to my question. The supplementary I ask, again a very simple question, is: Minister, will you confirm nurses on Platypus ward, who are looking after some of Victoria’s most vulnerable patients, have been forced to work 18 hours because the hospital was unable to afford agency staff due to your savage budget cuts?

 Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (12:13): I can advise the member for the umpteenth time that there have been no cuts. The only cuts that have been inflicted upon Victorian hospitals have come from your mates in Canberra—$305 million clawed back from Victorian hospitals. We support the nurses on Platypus ward. We support the nurses on every ward at the Royal Children’s and in fact across Victoria. This is why we have backed our nurses. Whilst you were prepared to cross the picket line, we have backed our nurses each and every single time.