Labor follows Longman blueprint for marginal seats on Shorten’s bus tour
Labor is employing some familiar tactics during Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s nine-day jaunt around Queensland, wth one key election battleground in sharp focus.
QLD Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LABOR is replicating its successful Longman campaign on a grander scale, seemingly rolling out the same promises but across Queensland.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, taking part in a nine-day bus tour of the state, announced an urgent and specialist care centre for Logan Hospital on Thursday and an MRI licence for Prince Charles Hospital on Friday.
Bill Shorten to target Queensland on a pre-election blitz
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten kicks off bus tour
Both were commitments made for Caboolture Hospital during the Longman by-election campaign where there was almost a 4 per cent swing to Labor.
The two campaigns also share a similar focus on disputed “cuts” to health funding, for the state or specific areas.
The promise of a Medicare-subsidised MRI machine for the PCH is part of an $80 million commitment for 20 of the medical devices to be rolled out nationwide, originally made by Mr Shorten in his May Budget reply last year.
A machine was promised for Caboolture during the May by-election, while others were announced for Gladstone and Redcliffe in December.
PCH has two MRI machines, but neither have a full Medicare licence, which Mr Shorten said meant Medicare did not cover the cost of the scans for outpatients.
“Labor will upgrade one of these MRIs to a full licence, expanding access to bulk-billed MRI scans and cutting wait times,” Mr Shorten said yesterday.
“Out-of-pocket costs (for MRIs) could be $400 or $500 and in some cases up to $900.”
Other campaign promises made during the Longman campaign, not seen during this tour, include $3.6 million for 50 extra Centrelink staff, $1.5 million for a hospital training ward at Caboolture TAFE and $50 million for a laboratory at the University of Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay campus.
Mr Shorten’s nine-day trip will next head to the Sunshine Coast, where he will spend the weekend before heading north.
$135m health bungle: Minister’s apology to affected businesses
Health Minister Steven Miles has apologised to businesses that have suffered delays because of the new Queensland Health payment system.
Hundreds of staff underpaid at Queensland utility
A Queensland Government-owned utility corporation has underpaid hundreds of its senior staff for more than a decade in a bungle that could have ripped off up to a quarter of its workforce.