SA State Budget 2017: Labor robocalling voters to spruik health reforms ahead of announcement
LABOR has started “robocalling” voters to spruik its $1.1 billion health spending spree, even before it is officially announced in Thursday’s Budget.
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LABOR has started “robocalling” voters to spruik its $1.1 billion health spending spree, even before it is officially announced in Thursday’s Budget.
After an all-out publicity blitz in recent days, residents are now receiving recorded calls from Premier Jay Weatherill, made from a blocked number, touting the benefits of the package.
It comes as Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis appears poised to commit funding this week to build a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the CBD, almost four years after it was pledged to taxpayers.
Cabinet ministers have all but confirmed that the Budget will finally feature the money to relocate the hospital from North Adelaide to near the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Labor first promised the new facility ahead of the last state election, when it said it would open in 2023.
STATE BUDGET 2017: THURSDAY FROM 3.30PM
ALL THE BIG SPENDING ANNOUNCEMENTS
A FIVE MINUTE GUIDE TO THE 2017 STATE BUDGET
ANALYSIS BY STATE POLITICAL EDITOR DANIEL WILLS
This Budget marks Mr Koutsantonis’s final splurge before the next state poll in March next year. He has already pledged a total of $1.1 billion in health spending, but has so far only outlined how about $300 million of it will be spent.
Initial estimates put the cost of relocating the WCH at more than $600 million.
In recent days, Labor ministers have made major spending pledges at Modbury, Flinders Medical Centre, Queen Elizabeth and Lyell McEwin hospitals. The Australian Medical Association says there was no consultation with clinicians about the plans. SA president Associate Professor William Tam said the Government’s Transforming Health reforms had “clearly become such a toxic political headline that the Government wants to remove it before the next election”.
Asked yesterday whether the remaining money would go towards honouring Labor’s 2013 WCH promise, Mr Koutsantonis and his colleagues were coy. “You’ll have to wait and see, there’s not long to go,” the man who holds the purse strings said with a broad smile.
With a raised eyebrow, Health Minister Jack Snelling told voters they should “watch this space”.
“I’m very, very excited. These are exciting times for public hospitals,” he said.
Premier Jay Weatherill added with a grin: “You don’t have to be a genius to work out that there’s more (funding announcements) to come”.
Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the Liberal Party supported relocating the WCH and he criticised the Government for the delay. “Here we are, four years down the track, not a cent (committed) in the forward estimates,” he said. “It has to be in the forward estimates now for it to be delivered in the original timeframe.
“The planning for that should have already been completed. The contracts should have already been let.”
However, when pressed, Mr Marshall avoided committing to delivering the new building if a Liberal Government is elected in March.
“We haven’t announced a specific project. We will be making all of those announcements in time for the next election,” he said.
