Children’s Lives Put At Risk

The Brumby Government needs to re-introduce lower target times for ambulances attending children with severe allergic reactions said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

“Children who suffer life-threatening allergic reactions are on the rise and it is imperative all child care centres, kindergartens and schools establish an anaphylaxis management plan.

“What is unclear at this stage is whether it is compulsory for every school and children’s service to have an anaphylactic plan and staff training, or only those where children who suffer such reactions attend.

“This could potentially emerge as a problem given that many children change school, kinder or child care centre during any given year.

“I welcome the Premier’s announcement yesterday addressing children suffering severe allergic reactions; however I am concerned that recent events of ambulance breakdowns and mechanical problems will put the lives of children at risk.

“The Premier needs to also address the issue of ambulance response times.

“For five years the state government has failed to meet the 13 minute Code 1 response time.

“While it is vital to have trained people and an anaphylaxis plan to ensure children with an allergy risk can receive urgent treatment, it is equally as important that an ambulance be called immediately as a ‘PRIORITY ZERO’.

“This is the most urgent call out to get a child to hospital as soon as possible.

“I call on the Brumby Government to re-introduce the 13 minute target for Code 1 to ensure children who have a life-threatening allergic reaction can be assessed as to the cardiac effect of the Epi-pen and receive further urgent treatment in hospital.

“Instead of adding more resources to the ambulance service, the state government disgracefully increased the time of the target and lowered the standard to 15 minutes.

“This is too long and unacceptable for people in urgent need, especially children suffering allergic reactions,” said Mrs Shardey.

DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR OUR KIDS?

Ted inspects the state of things at Caulfield Junior College

Ted Baillieu visited Caulfield Junior College this morning to see for himself the state of disrepair in our schools.

Addressing Victoria’s massive school maintenance backlog will be a top priority under a $250 million Liberal Government plan.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws show that Caulfield Junior College needs $266,852 worth of maintenance work to bring it up to scratch.

This money will be made available from the school rescue fund if we are elected next month.  Altogether Caulfield Schools need over $2m worth of urgent maintenance.

Here is the full list of Caufield’s school maintenance backlog to be fixed by a Baillieu government: Read more about…

Liberals Have No Plans To Privatise Public Hospitals

This week Bronwyn Pike was trying desperately to deflect attenion from her wretched handling of our public hospitals by claiming the Liberal Party is bent on their privatisation.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Liberal Party has no plans to privatise our public hospitals.

Furthermore, Labor’s attack on the private system is hypocritical as Bronwyn Pike uses the private health system to treat patients when she can’t get them into public hospitals. The Liberal Party’s focus is on sorting the waiting list crisis. Labor’s Health Minister should be paying attention to the public hospital mess, not drawing imaginary bows.

Helen’s Letter to the Australian Jewish News

This is my letter published last week in the Australian Jewish News concerning the Racial and Religious Tolernace Act.  

I thank the ALP candidate for Caulfield (AJN August 17, 2006) for recognising my support for the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, which I negotiated on behalf of the Liberal Party in my role as the Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs. I have been a strong supporter of the Act ever since. Read more about…

Bronwyn Pike or your doctor: Who do you believe?

‘These kinds of claims, that people are dying while waiting [for] appointments, I find very, very hard to believe’.

These were Health Minister Bronwyn Pike’s words yesterday when confronted with more evidence that people are dying in Victoria while waiting for treatment at our public hospitals. Read more about…

Helen’s Speech to the ANF on Industrial Relations

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of addressing the annual conference of the Australian Nursing Federation. Nurses had asked me how the changed industrial relations environment after Work Choices will affect them if we win the election in November. This is what I told them: Read more about…

Telstra Wants To Axe Phone Boxes In Glen Eira

Caulfield is one of the many suburbs being targeted by Telstra’s payphone blitz. The City of Glen Eira is on Telstra’s hit list with fifteen payphones facing potential removal. Read more about…

1162 Days Spent Waiting to See A Specialist: And That Ain’t The Record!

Consider the case of poor Graeme Turnley of St Albans Park. Mr Turnley has told the Geelong Advertiser that he ‘has waited for a consultation with a urologist since receiving a letter confirming his place on the waiting list in April 2003′.

According to the paper:

In the original letter, Mr Turnley was told he would have to wait 26 weeks for a consultation. Barwon Health later told him that wait would extend to 34 months, which passed by in February this year, before he received a phone call last Thursday asking if he wanted to remain on the list.

Sadly Mr Turnley’s case is far from isolated. According to the Auditor-General’s report, Access to specialist medical outpatient care, released last week, Victorians are waiting years to see urologists and other specialist.

Waiting lists for outpatient appointments are a hidden scandal in Victoria. The A-G found that the DHS keeps almost no records of how many people are waiting to see specialists, nor for how long they are waiting. As The Age commented ‘the number of people on the lists are only ever approximation’.

Nothing In The Budget To Ease Rural Doctor Crisis

The AMA has slammed Labor’s budget for ignoring the shortage of rural doctors.

“Doctors are extremely disappointed there is nothing in this week’s budget to attract GPs and specialists to practice in rural Victoria,” AMA Victoria president Dr Mark Yates told the Bendigo Advertiser.

“Communities across the state are justifiably concerned about the future of their local medical services.”

The news comes as the ABC prepares to broadcast an episode of Four Corners in which doctors claim that obstetrics services in some parts of rural Australia are Third World.

Since Labor came to office in Victoria, over 18 hospitals have suspended or abandoned their obstetrics services.

Get In Touch With Bracksie’s Little Helpers

Communication is the name of the game in Labor’s Victoria.

In addition to the 25 odd spin doctors who work in the Premier’s Media Unit, pushing the government line, there are hundreds more working hard on your behalf out there in government departments.

If you’re having trouble getting an answer out of the government, why not get in touch with them directly?

Some of their jobs don’t sound like much fun. Pity poor Sandra De Minico, whose duties include developing ’strong relationships with ministers offices’.

If you’re a hard-working journalist, tired of getting the run-around from Sharon or Bram or Ben or Manika or Alison, don’t bother with the media unit, try the underspinners out there in the departments.

Click on The Communicators to see the list with their contact details.

ALL MATERIAL ON THIS WEBSITE AUTHORISED BY HELEN SHARDEY, SUITE 1/193 BALACLAVA RD CAULFIELD NORTH