POINTING THE FINGER: Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has been critical of the Queensland Nurses Union, accusing it of remaining silent about federal health cuts. Picture: Annette Dew Source: The Courier-Mail
HEALTH Minister Lawrence Springborg yesterday fired off a scathing letter to the Queensland Nurses Union, accusing it of going "missing in action" in the fight against federal health cuts.
Mr Springborg, angry at a union refusal to meet with him last week in Townsville, says he is tired of union accusations the State Government has slashed its health budget.
An extra $800 million had been poured into state health with about $300 million channelled into funding nurse's pay rises implemented by the Newman Government, he said.
While staff cuts had occurred, they had been partially prompted by Canberra's decision in December to cut retrospective and current health funding to Queensland by more than $100 million, he said.
The QNU has dismissed the reduction out of Canberra as a minor funding glitch that will be rectified in the next two years.
Mr Springborg said the QNU, at the forefront of the protests against staffing cuts, was deliberately misleading the public about the impact of the federal spending cuts.
In a letter to QNU acting secretary Des Elder, he said the union appeared to be favouring the interests of Labor politicians over its members.
"It is always regrettable in the extreme when a union puts the job security of Labor Party politicians ahead of the job security of frontline health workers," he wrote.
Mr Springborg referred to a recent communique from State and Territory health ministers, including Labor ministers, which criticised health cuts impacting on all Australian states.
"The above makes a mockery of your claim that the exposure of the federal Labor Government's health cuts is some sort of misleading claim by the LNP," he said.
Mr Springborg says the State Government increased pay for nurses by 3 per cent since coming to power.
He accepted the Government would have "philosophical differences" with the union.
"But I have also said hypocrisy, inconsistency and covering-up for the Labor Party are not going to be a part of any working relationship with me as the Minister for Health," he said,
Mr Elder said the state had the responsibility to administer the health budget and could not pass the buck to Canberra.
Mr Elder said the State Government's own mid-year review acknowledged federal funding would increase in the next two years.
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