Labor staffer attended Qld Health debriefing during election caretaker period

The actions of a Labor staffer during the election caretaker period has raised eyebrows in the new LNP government, but it did not breach the rules.

A Labor staffer for Shannon Fentiman attended a confidential Queensland Health briefing about the damning Redlands Hospital endoscopy unit report two days before it was publicly released.

The Courier-Mail can reveal a senior staffer for then health minister Ms Fentiman attended the briefing with Queensland Health and Metro South Hospital and Health Service on October 16.

The attendance of a Labor staffer during caretaker period raised eyebrows in the now LNP government, but it did not breach the rules.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman declined to reveal the information discussed at the briefing.

“It is standard practice to brief stakeholders on matters that affect the business of government,” she said.

The report – which found shocking levels of substandard care in 73 patients and noted 12 could have lived longer if they had received proper care – was finalised on September 9.

Former health minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture David Clark

It was not released until October 18, with Queensland Health blaming the delay on the report’s complexity and consultation with patients’ families.

It prompted the LNP to questioned the delay and argued Labor had attempted to delay it until the eve of the election.

On October 20, Ms Fentiman said she received the report when everyone else did.

“The Premier and I were given the report at the same time as the opposition, and that is the day that it was released,” she said.

There is no evidence Ms Fentiman received the report earlier, but the attendance of her senior media adviser at the October 16 briefing indicates she had access to its contents prior to the October 18 release.

Ms Fentiman, however, said the attendance of her staffer was only to be aware of Queensland Health’s media strategy in releasing the report.

She said she received limited detail about the number of patients affected and insisted the briefing went for about 30 minutes.

Former Queensland Health assistant deputy director-general Robert Hoge

“The report and recommendations were not shared,” Ms Fentiman said.

Separately, The Courier-Mail can reveal Queensland Health assistant deputy director-general Robert Hoge left the organisation last week after the election of the LNP government.

Mr Hoge had returned from the Department of State Development to Queensland Health in August 2023, three months after Ms Fentiman became health minister.

The relationship between Queensland Health and Ms Fentiman’s office raised concern among some department staff.

It was revealed in July Queensland Health was in the process of hiring communications agency Rowlands to deliver media training to its executives in preparation for the parliament’s budget estimates process to help protect the government’s image.

Now, documents released under Right to Information reveal Mr Hoge, in an email to executive assistants, initiated the $27,000 training program for then director-general Michael Walsh and his deputies.

“I was wondering if we could set up a fortnight (then maybe weekly) meeting to help progress all of the moving parts that come with budget and estimates prep,” Mr Hoge wrote.

“I think it would be good to put them through their paces in June-July.”