General News
12 September, 2022
Rail plans deprives rural towns
By LOUISE STALEYTHE Victorian health system is in crisis. Our emergency rooms are overflowing, surgery wait lists are stretching on and on, buildings are in desperate need of upgrades, and the incredible staff at our hospitals, clinics and care...
By LOUISE STALEY
THE Victorian health system is in crisis. Our emergency rooms are overflowing, surgery wait lists are stretching on and on, buildings are in desperate need of upgrades, and the incredible staff at our hospitals, clinics and care facilities are overworked and under pressure.
With less than three months until the Victorian Election, there is a stark contrast between the Andrews Labor Government and the Liberal Nationals Opposition regarding how we plan to manage our health system.
Daniel Andrews and Labor offer more of the same. COVID did not cause the health crisis. Our system is in crisis because of years of mismanagement and underinvestment in Victoria’s health system.
Daniel Andrews has run Victoria’s health system as Premier or Health Minister for 12 of the last 16 years. He has no clear plan to turn things around.
Unlike Labor, a Matt Guy Liberal Nationals Government will rebuild Victoria’shealthsystem and protect Victorians from additional taxes and cost of living pressures. We will shelveDanielAndrews’ $34.5 billion rail line from Cheltenham to Box Hill and reprioritise every cent of that funding into fixing ourhealthsystem.
This rail line is Australia’s most expensive and least scrutinised project. Despite the Andrews Government promising to build the project for $50 billion, the independent and apolitical Parliamentary Budget Office revealed the cost of just two-thirds of this project would be over $200 billion. Even if Labor builds the rail loop, it will do nothing to improve the lives of people living in Ripon.
The money we save by shelving the project will rebuild our crumblinghealthsystem by building or upgrading hospitals across Victoria.
We will attract, retain and reward the staff we need to run ahealthsystem that local communities can trust and rely on. We will support the mentalhealthof young Victorians by placing a mentalhealthprofessional in every Victorian school.
We will halve Victoria’s record elective surgery waitlists within our first four years and provide rebates of up to $4500 for IVF and fertility treatment.
In less than three months, Victorians will have a clear choice. It’s a choice between immediately rebuilding Victoria’s brokenhealthsystem or a train line between Cheltenham and Box Hill in 13 years’ time.
Only a Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will fix thehealthcrisis without new taxes and more debt.
* Louise Staley is the member for Ripon