‘Hold us accountable’: Crisafulli’s suggestion amid health policy debate

LNP leader David Crisafulli has declined to say whether he would sack a future health minister for failing to meet their promised performance targets, despite making ministerial accountability a key focus of his election campaign.

His comments came as Labor accused the LNP of failing to match the government’s commitment to additional beds in the system, something it claimed was akin to planning widespread cuts.

Crisafulli returned to the site of the party’s first “health crisis town hall” meeting at Mount Gravatt on Monday to outline his $590 million, three-phase, pitch for the next term.

Queensland LNP leader David Crisafulli and health spokeswoman Ros Bates arriving for Monday’s media event in the Labor-held Mansfield electorate on Brisbane’s south.Credit: Matt Dennien

While many elements of the plan had already been announced, there were no additional hospital beds - the LNP will honour the 2200 extra beds outlined in the government’s hospital expansion project - and no more health staff than Labor had already forecast for system growth.

The LNP insists more beds can be made available by better triaging patients and managing discharge from hospitals.

“This is the most comprehensive plan ever taken to an election to diagnose, treat, and cure,” Crisafulli said.

Despite a promise to “stabilise” surgery waitlists within 12 months, Crisafulli has not set yet target for any reduction beyond the level an LNP government would inherit.

The LNP has vowed to reduce ambulance ramping to below 30 per cent within the first term – in 2023-24 Queensland Health managed only 40.3 per cent – with year-on-year targets.

However, that is not as ambitious as Crisafulli foreshadowed a year ago, when he said “success is not when it is anything other than 15 per cent” – the figure when the LNP was last in government.

And after long espousing greater “ministerial accountability” for key service delivery and performance targets, and promising to resign himself if he can’t reduce crime victim numbers before the 2028 election, Crisafulli appeared to change tack.

“Well, Queenslanders will hold us accountable if we can’t get it to figure I’ve outlined,” he said, brushing off questions about whether he would sack an LNP health minister in such a case.

“You know I’m a believer in ministerial accountability. Now, it’s going to take a while to turn this around, but we will, and this is the plan to do it.”

The incumbent health minister, Labor’s Shannon Fentiman, said the Miles government planned to deliver 3436 new hospital beds and extend an incentive scheme for medical students to train as GPs.

Fentiman claimed the LNP plan lacked detail – and hundreds of beds.

“This is such an undercooked, under-resourced plan,” she said on Monday.

“No wonder he described it as a ‘genesis’ of a plan. Everyone should be terrified about a slash of 1200 beds. Queenslanders need the beds. They need the staff. Their record is cuts.”

Crisafulli was adamant the LNP could do better than Labor. He said the 3436 figure was a “muddying of the waters” but his government would follow through with all budgeted expansion projects.

“I’m standing and telling Queenslanders for the first time in a decade: things will get better in the health system, and significantly better,” he said.

“That that’s a big promise that will be delivered.”

Australian Medical Association’s Queensland branch president Dr Nick Yim urged the LNP to back Labor’s pledge to extend the GP training grants, and again called on Labor to provide tax relief for GP clinics.

“Queenslanders know our healthcare system is under strain,” Yim told 4BC on Monday.

“Over the past couple of years, we have seen a big influx of population. At the same time, we do have an ageing population and with an ageing population that also increases the rate of chronic disease.”

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Queensland chair Dr Shantha Raghwan said addressing bed access blocks and ramping was critical.

“But we need more practical details regarding how these improvements will occur,” Raghwan said in a statement.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.