Media Release

Responding to the front page of yesterday’s Cairns Post, KAP Leader andFederal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has blasted the Federal Government’s plan to amend the current national funding model for health to one based on CPI and population growth, which experts say will cost $600 million over 10 years to the Cairns health region.

“Once again they are taking money off us to subsidise down South,” Mr Katter said.

“With the starving of Cairns Hospital for funds, the hospital for 300,000 Australians will be shorn of vital services.

“There will be many doctors, nurses and specialist services that will simply vanish in the $60 million per year that will be stripped off us, according to reports.

“Vital outposts like the Dimbulah Medical Centre will be completely forgotten.

“I call upon Warren Entsch to stand up for his people here.

“He played a significant role in getting rid of Abbott and putting in Turnbull and he’s got nothing in return, well I’d suggest this would be a good start.

“Because if the Liberal Party thinks they can continue to get away with stripping money off the North to look after the South, then let them take a salutary lesson from the recent elections.

“They’ve been left with two single members in North Queensland out of a total of twelve seats.”

Mr Katter said that he would be immediately putting a Question with Notice to the Health Minister asking for confirmation of the figures quoted in newspaper reports and an explanation for the cuts to the most essential of services.

“If they’re looking for cutbacks, let them stop bringing 600,000 people a year into an economy for which there are only 200,000 jobs created,” Mr Katter said.

“There are 200,000 school leavers and young people seeking jobs each year; that means 800,000 people seeking only 200,000 jobs.

“That places an enormous burden on our welfare system as Australians are forced out of work.

“Cut the section 457 visa and student visa rates and the costs associated with that – not health funding for the North, ” Mr Katter said.