Gillard’s carbon tax hit to Bradfield hospitals

‘Health services at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital will be under unnecessary financial pressure from Julia Gillard’s carbon tax’, Member for Bradfield Paul Fletcher said today.

‘NSW Government analysis shows that between now and 2020, the carbon tax will cost NSW Hospitals $212 million’.

‘This works out to a carbon tax of $1965.00 per bed in the NSW Hospital system’.

Similar figures have been published by the governments of Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia - calculating a tax per bed of between $1000.00 and $2425.00.

‘Because public hospitals don’t charge their patients, the only option is to rack up debt or cut services somewhere; either in emergency, surgical waiting lists, or community health services’, Mr Fletcher said.

‘At Hornsby Hospital, fine medical staff work in difficult conditions.

‘While the NSW government is working hard to bring long needed improvements to Hornsby Hospital, Labor’s Carbon Tax is making that job harder.

‘Every dollar spent on Julia Gillard’s Carbon Tax is a dollar that cannot be spent on caring for patients and upgrading Hornsby Hospital.

‘The last thing Hornsby Hospital needs is a new bed tax of $1965.00 per bed.

‘The first priority of an elected Coalition government will be to repeal the carbon tax and the pressure it is placing on our public hospital services’, Mr Fletcher concluded.