THEY might not agree on most things, but Liberal Juliet Arkwright and Labor’s Stephen Jones do see eye to eye on the need to support and strengthen services at Bowral Hospital.
However, their proposed methods of doing so differ markedly.
Wingecarribee Shire Council Councillor Arkwright said the community should fight for the future of the hospital.
“The Bowral Hospital to me is, despite all the representations to the State Government, a scandal,” she said. “I would do everything in my power to increase medical services.”
Liberal leader Tony Abbott has proposed a return to local hospital boards in NSW and Queensland as well as increased funding for mental health services.
Cr Arkwright said the Liberal plan revolved around engaging the community in the delivery of health services.
“The idea is to get the involvement of the medical profession and take the pressure off simply meeting one’s quota,” she said.
“We want to re-empower hospitals and make them serve the local community.”
Meanwhile, Mr Jones said Labor’s plan – to strip funding responsibility from the States in favour of the Commonwealth and create local hospital networks – was about addressing persistent problems in the health system.
“Our plans are about fixing the long-term problems in health care,” he said. “I’d like to see the Southern Highlands get a share of the money the commonwealth is injecting into primary health care.”
Mr Jones said Labor had doubled the funding allocated to the hospital system and increased the number of nurses and GPs by boosting training places.
“I think Bowral deserves some of that funding,” he said.
Mr Jones said the government’s plan for GP “superclinics” across Australia was an important step forward.
The Greens, contesting Throsby through Oak Flats truck driver Peter Moran, support Medicare funding for dental services, increased funding for mental health services and increased student training places in medical, dental and nursing schools.
Mr Moran said the extra training places would be established in regional centres, such as the University of Wollongong, because this would boost staff numbers in those areas.
“If they spend six to eight years working in a local community, and they become part of that community, they are more likely to stay there,” he said.
Mr Moran said the Greens thought there were some problems with Labor’s hospital policy.
“But we wouldn’t block it in the Senate, unlike the Coalition,” he said.
Mr Moran said the principle of returning the decision-making power to communities was a sound basis for health policy.
Greens ‘don’t have preference deal’
THE GREENS candidate for Throsby has announced there is no preference deal between his party and Labor for the seat.
Oak Flats truck driver Peter Moran said the Greens had not made any decisions regarding their how-to-vote cards.
The Southern Highland News reported on Wednesday that Labor’s Stephen Jones would benefit from lower house preferences directed to his party. Mr Jones said he understood the national deal was valid in every seat unless local branches had specified their objection.
However, Mr Moran said the Illawarra Greens would make a decision after the close of nominations next week.
“We may decide to suggest a second preference for Mr Jones or any one of the other candidates,” he said. “Another possible outcome is an ‘open’ ticket, where we suggest a vote for the Greens and ask the voters to fill in the other squares in the order of their preference.”
Mr Moran said a vote for the Greens was not a vote for Labor.
“When people vote for the Greens, they want to know they are voting for a different party than the ALP,” he said.
“Labor has promised their preferences in the Senate, but no local Greens groups are bound by the deal.”
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