Mrs TINA AYYAD (Holsworthy) (17:01): I move:
That this House:
(1)Notes that, after adjusting for health inflation, the Minns Labor Government has cut health funding for two consecutive years.
(2)Notes that under the Minns Labor Government:
(a)the number of patients who waited longer than clinically recommended for elective surgery in December 2024 was more than triple the number in December 2023;
(b)in the December 2024 quarter, 43.4 per cent of patients spent more than four hours in the emergency department while one in 10 patients spent more than 10 hours and 47 minutes in the emergency department; and
(c)in the December 2024 quarter, 67,902 patients left the emergency department without completing treatment—a 5.9 per cent increase compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
(3)Notes that the Minns Labor Government's 2024-25 budget foreshadows a cut of 36 per cent to health infrastructure spending by 2027-28.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY (Leppington) (17:17): The member for Holsworthy has had to bring this motion before the House today because any of her colleagues who were here prior to the last election are too embarrassed to do it themselves. We know what a dismal state the health system was in when we were elected. There was a wage freeze, services were stripped back and our health system was in crisis. Nowhere was this more apparent than in my patch of south-west Sydney, which is also the patch of the member for Holsworthy. Our health system was systematically neglected. Neither the member for Holsworthy nor the member for Ryde were around at the time, and given the results in the Federal divisions of Bennelong and Hughes they probably will not be around for much longer. I know that time is of the essence, so I am going to give those opposite a quick history lesson.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): The Clerk will stop the clock. I call the member for Ryde to order for the first time. Your interjection was out of order. There is too much noise from both sides of the Chamber. I remind the member for Terrigal that he is on three calls to order. I do not want to hear from him again.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: Here is a quick history lesson: For 12 long years—
Government members: Twelve long years.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: —under O'Farrell, Baird, Berejiklian and Perrottet the health system in my part of Sydney was neglected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): The Clerk will stop the clock. The member for Leppington will cease the call and response. I remind the member for Terrigal that he is on three calls to order. This is his final warning.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: Health workers were overworked and underpaid, and patients suffered as a result. Investment in the health system was funnelled east while population growth exploded in the west. The result was the largest elective surgery list in the State and the second highest number of patients leaving the emergency department [ED] without being treated. In the motion, the member for Holsworthy quotes some statistics. Here is one: In January 2023 those same Bureau of Health Information statistics reported a 132.9 per cent increase in patients walking out of EDs in the South Western Sydney Local Health District before receiving or completing care. I repeat that: 132.9 per cent.
Before those opposite use statistics, they should make sure they do a bit of historical research. I will bring up some other statistics later. So this is not just a history lesson; it is also a maths lesson. They also left behind the ghost hospitals, which the member for Liverpool referred to. They upgraded buildings without providing the staff to run them. They thought they were scriptwriters for a reboot of Yes Minister when in fact they were supposed to be governing. In contrast, this Government is investing $274 million to build a supported health workforce with more staff, better pay and secure jobs.
Continuing with my little history lesson, in 2020 our friends in the Legislative Council held an inquiry into health services in south-west Sydney. It found—surprise, surprise—years of historic underfunding under those opposite. That inquiry made a number of important recommendations. Recommendations 1 and 2 were that we needed urgent increases to health service funding in south-west Sydney. Unfortunately, the former Government's response failed to support that. Recommendation 13 was that NSW Health fast-track the site selection for the new Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. The former Government's response did not support that recommendation either.
But this Government is doing something about that. We are getting on with building new hospitals in Bankstown and right across Western Sydney. People in Western Sydney will be very happy with what we are doing. I know of one Western Sydney resident who will be very excited at the news. In a recent opinion piece in the Telegraph, no doubt with the help of ChatGPT, he wrote, "Sydney is such a unique and beautiful place. One of the best places to see this is at any one of the thousands of building sites scattered around the town." There will be many more building sites across Western Sydney: Fairfield Hospital, Canterbury, Westmead, Rouse Hill. The author of the article, one Ned Mannoun, will be happy to see all those building sites. I know he has a keen interest in building and property development, so that is great news.
It is no surprise that the member for Holsworthy has suddenly found her voice on these issues. There was not just a 6.3 per cent swing in Hughes, as the member for Liverpool spoke about; there was in fact a swing of 9.8 per cent at Bangor Public School. What is the reason for that? I was scrolling through my Facebook, and it turns out the member for Holsworthy was at that booth. There was a 6 per cent swing in Hughes and an additional 4 per cent swing when the member for Holsworthy was there.
Mr Adam Crouch: Point of order—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): The member for Leppington will resume his seat.
Mr Adam Crouch: The member for Leppington is nowhere near the substance of the motion.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): I do not uphold the point of order.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: I finish by saying, "You cannot stop the march of Moncrieff. All hail King Moncrieff."
