Goulburn MP Pru Goward has insisted that politics did not play a hand in the decision not to privatise the Base Hospital at this stage.
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The strong campaign mounted by unions and the community, also over the Bourke Street Health Service, would have many believe otherwise.
The backlash was swift and relentless and Ms Goward was forced to act, at least on the Bourke Street relocation.
The MP still stands by the benefits of hospital privatisation and says Goulburn’s demographics may not have stacked up economically for a provider. Read that as profit.
But while ever the State Government keeps secret the number and type of expressions of interest, we will never know.
NSW Health and Health Infrastructure NSW will not release this information. We appreciate commercial in confidence considerations but it doesn’t stop them offering up broad details.
The quick decision, less than a week after expressions of interest closed, was surprising. Even unions were caught off guard. Did Health Infrastructure really have enough time to scrutinise these bids?
Perhaps Goulburn’s demographics were a factor. It’s no secret the city has a low socio-economic, with a large percentage of welfare dependence. Yet surely blind Freddy could have foreseen this and anticipated the public reaction.
It has been politically damaging for Ms Goward. She has said the government was bound to go to expressions of interest given the $100 million plus development. But we don’t recall the government having a political mandate to do so.
The MP has also described the anti-privatisation campaign as “union driven.” Yes, they initiated action but the community didn’t follow them blindly.
Goulburn people feel strongly about their health services. They have invested time and emotion into them and don’t tolerate threats lightly.
Locals only have to cast their mind back to a 1991 community campaign, when the hospital was threatened with downgrade from Base to District status.
Ms Goward’s comments about the union role betray a fundamental misunderstanding of this attachment.
In this environment and with our demographics, the State should simply commit to funding the total hospital development.