Des Houghton: Key players in the AMAQ war

THE Australian Medical Association in Queensland has become mired in controversy, with a secretive bid to oust its past president — and its chief executive branded a “Labor apparatchik”. Des Houghton takes a look at the key players in the AMAQ war.

THE Australian Medical Association in Queensland has become mired in controversy, with a secretive bid to oust its past president — and its chief executive branded a “Labor apparatchik” in Parliament.

Member for Moggill Dr Christian Rowan, himself a former president of the AMA, condemned chief executive Jane Schmitt, whose conduct displayed “acts of vitriol, bile, ostensible bias, vendetta and political payback”.

And he also took a swipe at a former LNP minister he accused of disloyalty.

Dr Bill Boyd pictured with former AMA president Dr Christian Rowan.

Rowan also tabled a bundle of explosive letters from doctors attacking the AMA.

One of them was from respected urologist Dr Ross Cartmill, who revealed he had been subjected to union taunts that he should be “publicly executed” during the 2014 doctors dispute.

At the time, Cartmill, another former AMA branch president, chastised then federal AMA president Dr Steve Hambleton and Dr Shaun Rudd, the current state president, for not standing up for him.

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Cartmill had successfully represented the visiting medical officers.

Cartmill told Hambleton and Rudd: “My reporting on the benefits gained for VMOs led to Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation leadership suggesting I should be publicly executed.

“As two of the recipients of the offending email, I am not aware of any response from you to denigrate such unprofessional behaviour.

“In fact, unions gained your support, despite my advice to the contrary.”

Dr Ross Cartmill, also a former AMA branch president, revealed he had been subjected to union taunts that he should be “publicly executed” during the 2014 doctors dispute.

Cartmill said the unions ran a misinformation campaign.

“The union leaders were more interested in maintaining their influence than improving terms and conditions for medical staff.

“Having joined forces with the unions, you then found yourselves associating with ALP influence.”

This week Hambleton denied the AMA was politically aligned and he praised Cartmill for his “amazing” advocacy.

“I, too, was appalled at the language in that email,” Hambleton said.

Cartmill has since quit the AMA.

“I have since resigned from the AMA because of my total disillusionment with the direction it was heading,” he told me this week.

“It seems to me the AMA has drifted down the road to supporting unionism.”

And it certainly is looking that way.

Dr Steve Hambleton was the AMA federal president when he was chastised by Dr Ross Cartmill. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The AMA in Queensland says it is now “in partnership” with the left-wing Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation, a trade union affiliated with the ACTU.

It represents public hospital doctors, and in a new log of claims, the AMA is seeking a 5 per cent pay rise each year for three years — well above the inflation rate.

The AMA’s internal machinations will be a complete mystery to most of Queensland’s 33,000 dedicated doctors who stay out of politics.

The AMA Queensland branch seems to me to have taken a giant step to the Left.

This was the theme of Rowan’s State Parliament speech.

Rowan defended the outgoing president, Dr Bill Boyd, who has been sensationally asked to resign from the AMA council by the board.

The reasons were not disclosed.

Rowan reminded Parliament that Boyd was a democratically elected president.

Boyd had been condemned from within the AMA, he said.

Rowan said: “The current CEO Jane Schmitt and others have a track record of attacking and undermining the authority of a number of AMA Queensland presidents and duly elected officials.

Australian Medical Association Queensland CEO Jane Schmitt was labelled a “Labor apparatchik” by Dr Christian Rowan in Parliament. Picture: Anthony Weate

“The recent conduct of Labor apparatchik, AMA Queensland CEO Jane Schmitt, will go down in the history of the organisation as one of the greatest displays and acts of vitriol, bile, ostensible bias, vendetta and political payback.”

Rowan revealed he was drawn into the stoush when Boyd presented him with a meritorious award for his 10 years of service to the AMA.

“Jane Schmitt took extraordinary unprecedented steps to try to prevent the award being given because of her own conflicted political ideology, union links, distorted philosophical views and corrupted conflict in not being able to deliver balanced public policy with respect to industrial matters.”

She was too late. Rowan had already received the award.

Schmitt, an insurance lawyer before she joined the AMA nine years ago, is described on the AMA website as a “strategic thinker” and a “straight talker”.

She declined to do any talking this week.

Rowan also criticised Dr Chris Davis MP. Picture: Adam Smith

In his speech that went unreported in the media, Rowan also criticised the “duplicity” of Dr Chris Davis, the LNP member for Stafford who was appointed assistant minister for health in 2012, only to be expelled from the ministry for breaches of cabinet solidarity.

Rowan said Davis had undermined his colleague Lawrence Springborg, the health minister.

“This undermining was done as part of an unholy alliance with AMA Queensland’s CEO and representatives of the ASMOF union, as well as others including a number of Labor members and now Palaszczuk Labor ministers.

“Dr Davis’ breach of cabinet solidarity and his subsequent sacking — and also Dr Davis’ previous attack and ambush with other cronies — on well-respected former CEO Kerry Gallagher has not been forgotten.

“Politics has a long memory. Given that Dr Davis, the AMA’s CEO, the Together union and ASMOF collectively have all elected the socialist Palaszczuk Labor Government, it can be said that all have contributed to untold misery for patients, health professionals, farmers, families, businesses, as well as community.”

Rowan said he could not name those who had briefed him.

“I have real concerns for reprisals against them with respect to AMA organisational, political and/or professional bullying, harassment and intimidation,” he said.

Schmitt got some support this week from Dr Gino Pecoraro, who was president in 2010-11.

“In all my dealings with her, I found her fair and reasonable,” he told me.

Dr Shaun Rudd was also chastised by Cartmill. Picture: Annette Dew

Former premier Campbell Newman won the battle to put salaried doctors on contracts, only to see the Palaszczuk Government roll them back.

Newman said: “Our hardworking GPs don’t have time to play AMA politics, so the Left has gained control.

“It’s time for the silent majority to take back the association and focus on patient outcomes.”

PS …

PALASZCZUK POOCH SETS OFF ALARM

ARMED police during one of their regular patrols, rushed into Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Brisbane home last week fearing an intruder, when they noticed a garage door was open.

The commotion at 4.30am roused a bleary-eyed Henry Palaszczuk, who explained Annastacia was away and he was staying over to mind his daughter’s beloved pooch, Winton.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Winton. Picture: Jamie Hanson

Henry, a popular minister in the Beattie government, had to explain to that lonely Winton had jumped on to the bed and in doing so, had stepped on the remote control device that released the garage door.

PILOTS WARNED

THE $1.5 trillion F-35 jet fighter program has stalled in Arizona, where planes were grounded when pilots experienced hypoxia-like symptoms.

Oxygen supply failures follow a report by the US Government Accountability Office, which found 996 “deficiencies” in the jets.

And I don’t think they are talking about faulty tail lights. There were problems with avionics, weapons, software and propulsion. An earlier problem with ejection seats that could cause neck injuries to pilots has been fixed.

Australia has ordered 72 of the jets at more than $100 million each. RAAF pilots are testing the jets at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix.

Aviation giant Lockheed Martin says none of the problems is a threat to the venture, which is the most expensive weapons project in the history of war.

More than 3000 jets will be built over 40 years.

The planes are astonishing. The F-35 doesn’t just find a target and destroy it. Its sensors can suck up information and pass it to other aircraft or combat systems. So the F-35 effectively improves the capabilities of older aircraft on the same mission.

The jets have extraordinary acceleration, agility and 9G manoeuvrability, and are a foil against enemy states with modern surface-to-air missile defences, such as Russia’s
S-400.

However, the accountability office warns: “In its rush to cross the finish line, the program has made some decisions that are likely to affect aircraft performance and reliability and maintainability for years to come.” That’s where we come in. The jets are expected to be serviced in Queensland.

The accountability office adds: “If reliability targets are not met, the military services and the taxpayer will have to settle for aircraft that are less reliable, more costly and take longer to maintain.”

UNIONISTS EXIT

THE troubled CFMEU construction division in Queensland is imploding just as the Registered Organisations Commission steps up its investigations into credit card spending in the branch. In an email this week, the vice president Mitch Hughes announced the departure of two key figures, secretary Tim Whyte and Chris Brodsky.

“District vice president Chris Brodsky has notified us that he intends to resign from the union,” he says.

I’m told Whyte and Brodsky both had a falling out with president Steve Smyth. Whyte left with a payout. Brodsky has taken a job in Rockhampton with the construction division.”