By JONATHON HOWARD
GREENS candidate for the state seat of Noosa Joe Shlegeris has questioned the LNP incumbent Glen Elmes’ commitments to the Noosa Hospital, saying that until funding is allocated the hospital remains in jeopardy.
“Glen Elmes has now said that the Noosa Hospital “will be funded to 2020″ – that’s different from having the funding committed, which it clearly is not,” he said.
In response to Health Minister Lawrence Springborg’s promise to fund the Noosa Hospital to 2030, Mr Shlegeris said election promises were different from funding commitments.
“The funding is not committed until it’s committed. The assurances from both Mr Elmes and Mr Springborg are election promises which can be quickly forgotten,” he said.
“The LNP cannot have this both ways. Several months ago, I drew attention to the government document which shows funding for the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit ceasing in a few years. The government’s response was to ridicule me but change nothing.
“Now the government assures us that the hospital will be funded–no commitment–but only because I raised the issue. They would have been happy to carry on saying nothing about the scheduled funding cuts.”
Mr Shlegeris has also sought to address Mr Elmes’ comments that the race for the seat of Noosa will be a contest between the two major parties.
“I note Mr Elmes has been at pains to claim that the race for the seat of Noosa is one between the ALP and the LNP only,” Mr Shlegeris.
“This conveniently ignores the fact that the Greens candidate came second in the last election.
“The Greens are the viable opposition in the seat of Noosa unless and until someone proves otherwise.”
Mr Shlegeris said the comments by Mr Elmes revealed what the LNP worries most about: “The steadily rising support for the Greens,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Shlegeris said he had been campaigning at full speed since August.
“Since August I have published 16 lengthy columns addressing the many issues we should all be considering, including: grossly excessive pay to Queensland politicians, wasteful government subsidies to favoured industries and the community benefit fund I have promised to establish from my parliamentary pay and discretionary benefits,” he said.
Mr Shlegeris said he had also attacked the LNP’s plan to lease electricity assets.
“Calling the scheme a “lease“ is just a deception,” he said.
“Selling the coal-fired power plants could have been done years ago. Now, thanks to the declining demand for electricity, they have little capital value. They’ll only be sold if the government, meaning taxpayers, gave big revenue guarantees.
“The electricity grid, on the other hand, is a treasure. We could use it as the centrepiece of Queensland’s technological revival, shifting electricity from numerous competing generators and storage operators to users everywhere.”
