Qld LNP takes on Tasmanian ALP over ads

Queensland's Health Minister will consider a formal complaint, claiming Tasmanian Labor has misrepresented job cuts in Queensland in election ads.

The Tasmanian Labor Party denies it has misrepresented Queensland's controversial health redundancies for political gain in the lead-up to its state election.

The advertisements on television and online say mass sackings in Queensland under the LNP government are just a glimpse of what will happen in Tasmania if the Liberals get into power.

However, Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg says the ads make false claims and could be considering a formal complaint.

One ad features Martha Druery, who is captioned as a "sacked Queensland Health specialist".

While Mr Springborg concedes her position changed when Queensland health was restructured in 2012, he says Ms Druery in fact chose a voluntary redundancy and received a $100,700 payout.

"That certainly was not in the ad in Tasmania," Mr Springborg says.

"What an extraordinary amount of money.

"Indeed, I am sure it is in contrast to what a lot of employees in Tasmania who have chosen to take voluntary redundancies received."

Tasmania ALP isn't pulling the ads and state secretary John Dowling says Mr Springborg is trying to muddy the waters.

Ms Druery offered to work reduced hours and reduced rates of pay before taking the redundancy but was knocked back, he said.

"The fact is, before the Liberal National Party got into government in Queensland she had her job, they got into government and her job was cut," he told AAP.

"That's black and white."

Furthermore, Mr Dowling accused Mr Springborg of breaching confidentiality clauses in Ms Druery's redundancy by putting a dollar figure on her payot.

More than 4000 Queensland Health positions were made redundant in the health reforms, and the overwhelming majority of workers chose voluntary redundancies rather than risk a lower payout after four months of job searching.

Ms Druery says there was little consultation over her redundancy.

She says she was unable to risk accepting redeployment to an unknown position in an unknown destination at an unknown job classification level on a perhaps temporary basis.

"I therefore reluctantly accepted the redundancy option," she said.

"It was therefore a forced redundancy.

"Again he has misled parliament when he has no insight into the processes involved and has stated I proactively sought something I did not."


3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


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