No room for politics in health fixes

NEW Opposition spokeswoman on health Sarah Lovell has vowed to play a constructive role as the state grapples with a hospitals crisis under the re-elected Hodgman Liberal Government.

Labor went to the state election promising to take the politics out of education and Ms Lovell says she is willing to take a similar approach to health — if the Government delivers on its promises.

The Upper House MP was named in the portfolio relinquished by Opposition Leader Rebecca White when Labor’s shadow cabinet was unveiled last week.

She had previously been the Opposition’s spokeswoman on mental health but now steps into the hot seat of the state’s biggest issue.

Ms Lovell said she would hold Health Minister Michael Ferguson to his election promises, but work with the Government to address the chaos in the state’s hospitals.

“I’m not here to be obstructive or play some kind of political football,” she said.

“I’m here because I want to see good outcomes delivered for Tasmania.

“If the minister can do that, I’m happy to support it.”

Labor’s support would be based on the outcomes those working in and using the health system needed,” Ms Lovell said.

“If I think the minister is on the wrong track then I will absolutely raise that with him,” she said.

“If I think he’s on the right track and doing everything he genuinely can do to deliver on those promises, then I will be happy to support it.”

Labor made health its number one issue during the election campaign but lost traction when the Liberals promised to outspend it.

The oxygen consumed by the ALP’s anti-pokies policy meant the issue struggled for airtime.

Ms Lovell said Labor’s $560 million health policy would have provided more relief more quickly, but it could evolve.

“I can’t say there won’t be something happening in the next four years that means that our priorities need to change,” she said.

“I’m going through that already, we’re going through our policy, we’re talking to different stakeholder groups.

“I’ve been meeting nurses, I’ve been down to the hospital, I’m travelling around the state to meet with different stakeholders.”

Ms Lovell, 37, became one of Tasmanian Labor’s new faces when she stole the Legislative Council seat of Rumney from Tony Mulder last year after working as an organiser for trade union United Voice.

She said a background in a health profession was not a prerequisite for working effectively in the complex portfolio.

“I think the most important thing is that I’m able to listen to the people who are on the front line — people who are working in health, people who are accessing the health system, people who are providing those services,” she said.

Health needed more resources, rather than cuts to future spending, and better longterm planning, she said.

Better conditions to attract medical staff to the state and a reduction in wasteful spending on locums were also goals.

But support for mental health patients presenting at emergency departments and relieving the burden on hospitals were immediate concerns, she said.

“The Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment is not going to fix the problems,” she said.

“The capacity is not going to increase enough and it’s not just about the capacity of the hospital.

“It’s also about the capacity of communities to provide health care, it’s about preventative health.”