United Voice News
Public meeting on privatisation threat
The LHMU and the HSU are holding a public meeting to discuss the state government’s plans to privatise essential services in schools and hospitals at the South Lake Leisure Centre, South Lake Drive on Wednesday, June 9, from 6.30pm.
The meeting takes place only a few kilometres away from the site of the new Fiona Stanley Hospital which the government is planning to privatise along with Midland Health Campus, Albany Regional Hospital and the new childrens’ hospital.
The premier Colin Barnett and his health minister Kim Hames have been invited to attend the meeting, as have local MPs Joe Francis, Mike Nahan and Peter Abetz.
Shadow health minister Roger Cook, who recently tabled the No Privatisation in Schools and Hospitals Bill, will address the community. The Australian Medical Association have also been invited to attend.
Important meeting
This is an important meeting for the local community to get more information about the state government’s plans, which have so far been introduced without any consultation with the community that will be most affected.
Dave Kelly, secretary of the LHMU said: “The privatisation of essential hospital and school services in this state has had dire consequences in the past for both patient and pupil care and workers. We don’t want history to repeat itself.
“When orderly services were privatised at the Sir Charles Gairdner hospital in the 1990s, the service was compromised because staff numbers were reduced from 110 to 56. This had a knock on affect for patients who were left for hours in corridors after simple procedures because there was no one available to take them back to the wards.
Workforce cut
“We are deeply concerned that the Fiona Stanley Hospital will not live up to the high standards of public hospitals because it will be run by private firms who have their bottom line at the top of their agenda rather than the interests of patients and their employees.
“In schools, the privatisation of cleaning in the 1990s saw the workforce cut by 25% leaving our schools dirty and creating more work for education assistants and teachers. The current government has refused to rule out privatising school cleaning.
“The community expects essential services to be run to a high standard, not a profit. As one of the richest states in Australia, surely we don’t have to resort to handing over the responsibility for health and education services to profit-focused enterprises.”
For more information about the No Privatisation in Hospitals and Schools campaign, and to get involved, log onto www.inpublichands.com.au.
