Labor slams LNP health record as election talk heats up

Data reveals the LNP Newman government sacked 4400 health workers in 2012-13 – more than were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state government released the figures to promote its record on health, attrition rates for health workers overall was higher between 2012-13 (5.82 per cent) than in 2021-22 during the pandemic (3.55 per cent).

That included 1800 nurses and midwives. For nurses and midwives the attrition rates were closer; 6.24 per cent in 2012-13 and 6.09 per cent in 2021-22.

4400 healthcare jobs were lost during the Newman LNP government.Credit: Jono Searle/ Getty Images

The attrition rate of Queensland Health dental staff was 15.42 per cent in 2012-13 under the LNP, but 12.96 per cent in 2021-22, data provided by the government showed.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said Labor added an extra 17,000 health staff since 2015, delivered 3.37 million COVID-19 tests and administered 3.85 million COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath is expected to address the claims in the FOI documents today.Credit: Matt Dennien

She said the figures showed LNP in office impacted health workers more significantly than “a one in 100-year pandemic”.

“The 1-in-100-year pandemic saw attrition in key health staff like nurses and midwives, doctors and visiting medical officers and dental officers,” she said.

“However, the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on the retention of the health workforce was proportionately less than the savage cuts of the Newman Government when the Leader
of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition were both senior cabinet ministers.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates, a registered nurse, said Campbell Newman’s government was almost a decade ago.

“In the middle of the biggest health crisis this state has ever seen, with deteriorating performances for eight years, the Palaszczuk government’s only response is to blame a government that will be 10 years in the wilderness at the time of the next election.”

Bates believes D’Ath is “out of her depth”, pressured by the closure of maternity services in regional Queensland and worsening ambulance ramping. D’Ath refutes this and oversaw the final COVID-19 vaccine rollouts.

Recent polls show Labor losing voter support midway through its third term, and last week senior ALP ministers began calling for greater scrutiny of the LNP.

A poll of 1000 voters over three months published by Nine and run on this site on April 19 showed Labor’s primary vote dipping from 40 per cent at the 2020 state election to 35 per cent.

The LNP’s primary vote dipped from 36 per cent at the 2020 state election to 33 per cent.

D’Ath will use an event at Wynnum on Sunday to thank health workers for their work over the pandemic and make the point that Labor has employed 10,000 new nurses and midwives; 3100 new doctors and 1100 new ambulance officers.

“Unlike the LNP, we won’t be cutting health staff and I hate to think where we would have been during the pandemic if the LNP were still making cuts.”