In an extraordinary backflip, Health Minister Snelling is now offering Keith Hospital total grant funding of $1 million per year just three years after the Labor Government decided to cut funding by $370,000 per year. Shadow Health Minister Rob Lucas said the Labor Government’s handling of Keith Hospital’s funding had been an unmitigated disaster. “The…
DetailsShadow Minister for Health Rob Lucas said today that the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (NRAH) was like a ‘fiscal vacuum cleaner’, sucking virtually every last dollar out of the health budget to the detriment of other projects. “It is already apparent that the $400 million a year from 2016 just for the non-clinical costs of…
DetailsShadow Minister for Health, Rob Lucas, said today that another major financial scandal was brewing in SA Health over the $400 million plus EPAS (Enterprise Patient Administration System) IT project. It is now clear Minister Snelling is desperate to keep a ‘lid on’ this looming scandal until after the March 2014 election. Mr Snelling was…
DetailsShadow Minister for Health, Rob Lucas, said today that Minister Snelling and SA Health can no longer afford to ignore scathing criticism by doctors of their decision making and lack of consultation over planning and design issues at the NRAH. Evidence from SASMOA and the AMA to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee today…
DetailsThe Weatherill Labor Government is closing Millicent Hospital’s obstetric unit despite assuring locals only last month services were not at risk. Shadow Health Minister Rob Lucas said although the Millicent community was repeatedly told last month services at the hospital would not be cut the decision was made following a meeting with the Australian Medical…
DetailsPremier Weatherill is sadly out of touch in awarding a $25,420 pay increase to one of his personal spin doctors. This week’s Government Gazette shows Mr Weatherill has given a 24.3 per cent pay increase to Media Adviser Jarrad Pilkington, taking his salary to $130,000. Mr Weatherill has simply changed Mr Pilkington’s title to Senior…
DetailsPremier Weatherill’s senior advisers embroiled in the child sex abuse scandal at the centre of the Debelle inquiry have received a combined pay increase of $107,000 since 2010. The Debelle Report is unequivocal in its damning assessment of Mr Weatherill’s senior advisers, Mr Blewett and Mr Harvey, and their failure to advise then Education Minister…
DetailsThe Weatherill Labor Government’s budget cuts have now extended to cutting nursing jobs. “This is yet another broken promise by Mr Weatherill, who has always said he would not cut ‘front line’ positions such as nurses, doctors, teachers and police,” said Shadow Health Minister Rob Lucas. “Information originally provided by a source within SA Health…
DetailsThe EPAS IT project has blown out by another $14 million, bringing the new total cost to $422 million. This comes after it was revealed in Premier Weatherill’s Budget that there had been a $40 million blowout in Oracle, another Health IT project. “Premier Weatherill and his Labor Government’s handling of IT projects has lurched…
DetailsThe appointment of high priced consultants Bespoke Approach by the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (NRAH) consortium is a clear indication there are major problems with the project. Companies don’t spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on expensive troubleshooters part way through a major project unless they have grave concerns about the project. Information provided to…
DetailsLabor division and disunity has continued under Premier Weatherill’s watch, this time over the issue of same-sex marriage. Bitter divisions have been revealed today as senior Labor MPs are unhappy about Mr Weatherill pushing to legislate for same-sex marriage in South Australia, because it is a Federal issue. These Labor MPs are openly telling journalists…
DetailsHealth Minister Snelling must explain why there has been a significant reduction this year in referrals from SA Health to the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) for home-based health care. It was revealed today at least 40 full-time jobs will be lost from the RDNS because of this reduction in referrals. Shadow Health Minister Rob…
DetailsShadow Minister for Health Rob Lucas said today the proposed closure of paediatric services at Modbury Hospital was due to financial mismanagement and waste relating to blowouts on a number of projects such as $40 million on the Oracle IT project. The Government’s controversial proposal to close the designated paediatric ward has been done so…
DetailsAdjourned debate on second reading. (Continued from 4 June 2013.) The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (16:06): I rise to speak on behalf of Liberal members to the second reading of this most important bill. At the outset, I congratulate my colleague in another place, the member for Davenport, on his extraordinarily meticulous handling thus far of…
DetailsShadow Health Minister Rob Lucas today accused Premier Weatherill of outrageous and shameless politicising of the public service. The attached political message attacking Federal Liberal leader Tony Abbott was circulated to all public servants in Premier Weatherill’s own department. This screenshot was taken from the internal website available to almost 2,000 public servants in the…
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