SICK AND TIRED

Govt scraps ambitious health goal

A LOFTY ambition for Tasmania to become the healthiest state in Australia within five years appears to have been ditched by the state government.

Health Minister Sarah Courtney has failed to adequately explain why the policy had been removed from a government strategic plan.

Meanwhile, at a Legislative Council budget estimates committee hearing, Ms Courtney also revealed that health workers had been forced to cancel leave plans and the amount of leave owed to staff jumped by $ 37m during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

THE promise of making Tasmania “the healthiest state in Australia within five years” has vanished from a list of government priorities, a parliamentary committee has heard.

Health Minister Sarah Courtney on Wednesday appeared before a Legislative Council budget estimates committee hearing.

Labor MLC Bastian Seidel asked why the policy had disappeared from a government strategic plan.

“I’m glad you asked,” Ms Courtney replied.

“You are the first person to ask me that during estimates.

“We don’t walk away from an aspiration like that, it is a core part of what we want in Tasmania.”

Ms Courtney said that government health spending had increased and accounted for 32 per cent of the state budget.

“We can’t have a Health Department that continues to become bigger and bigger, and doesn’t become more efficient as well,” she said.

Dr Seidel said he was underwhelmed by Ms Courtney’s response.

“In 2015 there was a big deal when Michael Ferguson announced this policy,” he said.

“To have it dropped quite unceremoniously raises some questions.

“I’m not surprised because it’s completely unrealistic based on the current data.

“I think the government really owes the Tasmanian public some explanation.

“You can’t use COVID as an excuse … it’s just a lack of leadership.

“Our nurses, our doctors cannot work any harder.”

The committee heard that the amount of leave owed to health department staff has jumped by $ 37m during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Ms Courtney said that the pandemic caused many staff to cancel their leave plans, either because of the demands of the response or because they could not travel.

As a result, the amount of accrued annual leave had increased from $ 101m to $ 121m and the amount of accrued long service leave had increased from $ 147m to $ 164m.

The total of $ 289m in accrued leave represents an increase of 17 per cent on baseline figures from the previous year.

Health Department secretary Katherine Morgan Wicks said the jump in outstanding leave liabilities was being closely watched.

“We are monitoring the rates of annual leave, long service leave and sick leave, and we’ll also have a conversation around fatigue management — particularly for key positions within the pandemic response,” she said.

The committee heard the amount of overtime was “broadly consistent” between current and pre- pandemic reporting periods, with an increase of just 0.5 per cent, although in some areas such as Public Health, the figure was higher.