Shannon Fentiman’s response to latest grilling on leadership

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, a possible frontrunner to become Labor leader after October 26, has again come under pressure to reveal her hand.

Premier Steven Miles, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith (left) visit the River Cruz Cafe at Bundaberg. Picture: Adam Head

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, a possible frontrunner to become the Labor leader if the party loses the election on October 26, has once again fobbed off questions about whether she will have another crack at the top job.

She pulled out of the leadership race the day after former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the shock announcement on December 10 last year that she would step down.

Ms Fentiman was asked on Tuesday on 4BC about whether she still harboured leadership aspirations.

She insisted her focus was on helping Labor win the election, despite polls showing the party faced a potential wipe out.

Internal party polling even suggested Ms Fentiman could be under pressure in her Logan-based seat of Waterford, despite a comfortable 16 per cent margin.

“Having seen the LNP’s so-called health plan I am more determined than ever to make sure that this Labor government is re-elected,’’ she told 4BC.

“We’re in it to win it. I’m hoping to come back as Health Minister.

“I really mean that. I’m actually terrified, if the LNP win, what is going to happen to our health system.’’

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman talks to media at the site of the new Bundaberg Hospital. Picture: Lexa Smith

Ms Fentiman also repeated her claim that the LNP had “copied Labor’s homework’’ on health but took the attack further.

She said there was no mention at all in Opposition Leader David Crisafulli’s $500m health plan about women and girls’ health issues, despite her government releasing a plan for problems such as endometriosis and pelvic pain.

Women Minister Shannon Fentiman has taken advantage of unrest within the LNP over abortion.

“I’m terrified, terrified if David Crisafulli gets elected,” she said.

“I’m focused on winning and I am more determined than ever.”

She also suggested Mr Crisafulli had left open the door to de facto, total staff cuts in the health sector because his commitment to match Labor’s promise of 34,200 clinician positions made no mention of support staff, unlike the ALP.

“Chefs, cleaners, security, wardies, they’re all missing from his plan,’’ Ms Fentiman said.

“The LNP have committed to less health workers. So, 12,000 fewer health workers than under Labor.

“He (Mr Crisafulli) said he would commit to 34,200 health workers (by 2032), which is our target for (the) clinical workforce.

“But he has not committed to all the people who make the hospital work – the chefs who keep you fed in hospital, the cleaners, the wardies, the security staff who keep our nurses and our patients safe – they’re all missing from his plan.’’

She dismissed Mr Crisafulli’s pledge to introduce real time health data as doing nothing to reduce ambulance ramping or other key performance measures.

“I think the nurses that are working at Ipswich or Logan or Cairns hospitals know how busy they are,’’ Ms Fentiman said.

“How is knowing that (real time health data) going to help them do their job?

“How is that actually going to ease ambulance ramping?’’

Originally published as Shannon Fentiman’s response to latest grilling on leadership