Queensland Health will need to save $1 billion in the next four years for Labor to hire all the extra health staff its promised over the election.
Treasurer Cameron Dick announced Labor’s costings today, revealing the party will fund $3.7 billion in election promises entirely through borrowings.
But while attacking the LNP for allegedly planning a massive cuts program, Mr Dick admitted Queensland Health would need to achieve a two per cent productivity dividend each year to 2024 to be able to meet Labor’s health staff announcements.
“The commitment to additional health staff of 5,800 nurses, 1,500 doctors and 1,700 allied health professional to September 2024 is to be funded from the existing Queensland Health Funding envelope subject to achieving the existing efficiency and productivity dividends set out in the agreement…” the fine print of the costings document reads.
That means QH would need to make at least $270 million in savings each year until 2024.
Questioned on the planned savings, Mr Dick initially said: “There’s no restrictions on Queensland Health on how they deliver their productivity dividend.”
But Mr Dick denied those savings amounted to cuts and asked whether staff cuts might occur, he said that was “not the intent”.
“Health can find the efficiency dividend however they wish but it’s not about impacting on staff,” he said.
He then said that QH were prevented from making savings by cutting staff under the funding agreement.
Mr Dick did not detail any examples of how those savings might be made, but said they would be “easily done”.
“Health’s Budget is, I think, $16 billion so how you can find $270 million is something that’s easily done,” he said.
The Treasurer said the fact the world was in a pandemic would not make finding those savings any more difficult.
– Jessica Marszalek
