As an increasingly bitter Battle for New England consumes election campaigning with ugly accusations levelled at Tony Windsor, sitting MP and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce remains under siege from a cavalcade of protesters too.
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Just four days out from the federal poll, the campaign has become even more centred around the two election frontrunners. (See stories Page 2.) Yesterday it was the turn of Tamworth nurses to turn up the heat on the deputy PM on his home turf. Today, clean-energy advocates and meatworkers will descend on Mr Joyce’s office. They follow a parade of anti-mining and maritime workers.
Tamworth nurses rallied outside Mr Joyce’s electorate office yesterday calling for him to pledge support for huge health funding cuts to be restored.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association called for the MP to commit to the reversal of $57 billion worth of funding cuts to public hospitals, supporting aged care, the protection of Medicare and the retention of nurses’ penalty rates.
Local NSWNMA representative Deborah Walganski said the cuts were scheduled to take effect from July 2017 and said the electorate had a growing and ageing population and would be faced with particular challenges.
“Fifty-six billion dollars in health funding cuts means the nurses’ and midwives’ facilities won’t be able to care appropriately and safely for patients and women and babies in the area,” Ms Walganski said.
“To date he [Mr Joyce] hasn’t signed this pledge, so we feel that he is not really supporting his electorate and the constituents in his electorate with such an important item in health.”
Tamworth hospital was recently slated for a slice of $40 million allocated to NSW hospitals undergoing redevelopment in the recent budget to help increase capacity, but the NSWNMA said the windfall was 12 months too late.
“We’re aware of the budget that was put out by the state government and (NSWNMA general secretary) Brett Holmes has written that $40 million was 12 months too late,” Ms Walganski said.
The local NSWNMA members said they still wanted to meet with Mr Joyce before the election and invited the MP to tour the Tamworth hospital facilities with the association.
In a statement issued yesterday, a spokesperson for Barnaby Joyce said the deputy prime minister thanked the nurses and midwives for the hard work they do and said he was happy to receive the letters.
“Commonwealth funding for public hospitals nationwide is increasing 22.7 per cent over the next four years – or $3.9 billion,” the statement said.
“Commonwealth funding for public hospitals in NSW is increasing 20.2 per cent over the next four years – or $1.1 billion.”
Mr Joyce also said the federal government was putting a “record” amount of funding into Medicare to the tune of $22.7 billion in this financial year.
“By 2018-19, we will be spending 25.8 billion, that’s a 12 per cent increase over four years – or $3.1 billion,” he said.
“All of these figures are in the budget for people to see with their own eyes.”
