Why Queensland Hospital Crisis Shows System Strain

13 Comments

1. So many accurate points here. The core of the problem, chronic underfunding for decades.
   Back in the 70’s before Medibank was introduced by the Whitlam Government, Queensland’s health system was the envy of Australia.
   Queenslanders railed against Medibank because they were going to have to pay for something that had previously been funded by the Lotteries and was free.
   So, basically 50 years of poor planning and underfunding has got us to where we are now. It can’t be blamed on one side of politics as over the last 50 years both Liberal & Labor have contributed to the current status. It’s not like the aging population hasn’t been known about.
   We spend Billions on Submarines we’ll never see, and don’t spend on areas that would improve Australian lives. Schools, Roads and Hospitals all have suffered under poor politicians lack of planning.

2. While politicians sheltering under the Canberra Bubble fantasise about imperial conquest in foreign lands as mercenaries for that self-serving military power, the USA (Undemocratic Sewer of Apartheid) that has created 80+ ”interventions” in democratically elected governments of other countries since 1945. This list included the 1975 Dismissal of the Whitlam LABOR government to protect their spy station at Pine Gap et al, the real cost to Australian voters of subsidising this imperial conquest is the demise of Australian health and public infrastructure projects to fund these ”adventures”.

   Presently nurses and mid-wives are seeking a pay increase that the self-serving egotistical NSW Minister for wrecking public Hospitals has played word games rather than meet those very reasonable pay demands.

   I cannot speak for Queensland, but the failed forced amalgamation of the Hunter LHD with the NE LHD to form the HNE LHD has been an abysmal failure, with all cost slashing occurring in geographically distant former NE LHD to protect their local Newcastle (Hunter) mates.

   Currently Roy Butler INDEPENDENT MP Barwon is investigating this comfortable scenario because there are hospitals in his electorate, under the HNE LHD that are not staffed with a doctor for 24/7.

   Moreover, the new boy Brendan Moylan NOtional$ MP Northern Tablelands, has done little to improve anything since his election by the undemanding local NOtional$ voters. Such a comfortable job for such a good remuneration; no voter expectations to meet until long after the a disaster occurs when the solution was required in place ….. but wasn’t there.

   So our local public hospital has morphed into a G*d’s Waiting Room for Elderly persons requiring high care but lacking the financial means to provide them for themselves. The NDIS is a help, but the waiting times for approval are six-twelve (6-12) months.

   Now explan to us why Australia needs Scummo’s USUKA sub debacle at a cost of at least $368 BILLION paid in the vain hope of delivery of boats that are now redundant upon the drawing board.

   REGIONAL INDEPENDENTS GET THINGS DONE FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.

   What do Notional$ and ON do?? As little as possible.

3. Among the decisions over the years that have led us here are:
   – creating “productivity gains” by closing beds.
   – supporting private hospitals, even to the point of making public hospitals share facilities such as surgical suites and labour wards, and accept people whose private health cover is inadequate anyway.
   – closing the nurses’ homes which allowed staff to choose to live on site, where they were easily called in for emergencies
   – closing mental health institutions so that people in serious stress have to wait in the chairs for hours while a mental health professional is found

4. @ Lyndal: The ANEH Nurses Accommodation Wing was closed decades ago ….. to provide more offices for desk jockeys. It is so much more important for the paperwork to be done rather than patients be best served.

5. Russell, you make a good point about long-term planning. This has been building for decades, not just one government.

   I think the key issue is not just underfunding, but how the system is structured. States like Queensland are responsible for hospitals, but they do not control the funding system in the same way the federal government does.

   That creates a situation where:
   • demand keeps rising
   • planning is fragmented
   • investment often comes too late

   You are also right about priorities. Decisions on where public money is directed shape outcomes. Health, education, and infrastructure all depend on those choices.

   The question is: with everything we now know about population growth and ageing, why has the system not been scaled to meet demand?

   What do you think has been the biggest missed opportunity over that time?

6. New England Cocky, you have raised some serious issues, especially around regional healthcare and access. That point about hospitals not having 24/7 doctor coverage is something we are hearing more often, and it shows how uneven the system has become outside major centres.

   The experience in your area under the HNE LHD highlights a broader pattern. When systems are merged or centralised, smaller communities can lose out, even when the intention is efficiency.

   I think the key issue is that this is not just one decision or one level of government. It is a mix of:
   • long-term planning gaps
   • workforce shortages
   • funding arrangements between state and federal governments

   On spending priorities, there is a real debate about how public money is allocated and what delivers the most benefit to Australians in their daily lives.

   Your point about regional communities is important. When services are not available locally, the impact is immediate and personal.

   What do you think would make the biggest difference in your area right now? More staff, better funding, or different management structures?

7. Lyndal, these important decisions that do not get talked about enough.

   The shift toward “productivity gains” and bed reductions seems efficient on paper, but it leaves very little buffer when demand rises, which is exactly what we are seeing now.

   The role of private hospitals is also a key issue. When public systems start relying on private capacity, it can blur priorities and reduce the focus on building strong, fully resourced public services.

   Your point about nurses homes is interesting too. That kind of on-site workforce support gave the system flexibility that is hard to replace today.

   And mental health is clearly under pressure. When people in serious distress are waiting hours, it shows the system is not matching the level of need.

   It all points to a pattern of decisions that made sense individually at the time, but together have reduced resilience.

8. @ Denis Hay: 1) More front-line health care staff, fewer paper-shufflers. A sick mate was admitted to AHEH and was ”interviewed” by seven (7) paper-shufflers to satisfy admission procedures. Whatever happened to computers to reduce paperwork??

   2) More funding through higher salary payments and subsidised government housing for essential nursing staff. There is such accommodation for doctors who are paid about $1500 per day, but none for nursing staff who do all the work, both clean & dirty.

   3) The current management structure is too top heavy with high salary jobs doing very little to justify the expense. Back in the 60s the hospital administration was a ruthlessly efficient Matron, an accountant plus a receptionist/secretary with a local Hospital Board overseeing operations ….. and there was an on-site Nurses Accommodation Wing.

   4) Mental health in New England is very under resourced, having 8 beds in Armidale and about the same in Tamworth ….. for an area about 300km by 300 km; Quirindi north through to the Queensland border and from the eastern Range to west beyond the Newell Highway (north-south through Narrabri & Moree).

   The local UNE looked at locating a Teaching Hospital in Armidale to support the newly established Medicine Faculty. The then VC asked Moran Health for their opinion and naturally they protected their private hospital investment in Armidale by rubbishing the proposal.

   Nothing like short sighted self service to work against the best interests of the community.

   Armidale is about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, about one hour flight time from each state capital city. The opportunity was NOT local patients, a declining number of ageing agriculture workers, but ”tourism medicine” where city folk escape the long metro waiting time queues for elective surgery by attending UNE TH, receiving their procedure and staying over for a week of recovery. The noughties were a disastrous time at UNE for too many self serving policies.

9. ‘Population growth and ageing demographics’ are not mutually exclusive while in relative terms increasingly more retirees due improved health & increased longevity vs younger and working age; see rising old age dependency trends.

   However, this long term demographic dynamic is neither understood nor highlighted by media and politicians as opposed to dog whistling temporary border movements via the NOM as a sole driver of pop growth that creates stress in infrastructure, health care, housing etc.

   None of it’s true, but how easy has it been for a generation to have Australians robotically follow the RW MSM, to then dog whistle ‘immigrants’ and ‘population growth’, to help our political and media elites avoid accountability?

   Potential outcome, crash budgets and trash any public service delivery since foundation, to stop immigrants accessing health care. In fact most of these ‘immigrants’ are on compulsory health insurance and tend not to o ccopy beds…. vs older Australians, but needs facts?

10. New England Cocky:
    You have raised some very practical issues, especially regarding frontline staffing and resource allocation.

    That point about multiple admission interviews really stands out. Systems are meant to become more efficient with technology, but in many cases, it seems to have added layers rather than reduced them.

    Your comments on housing and support for nurses are also important. Without those, it is very difficult to attract and retain staff in regional areas.

    Your mention of earlier hospital structures reminded me of when I first met my ex-wife in Auckland. She was a student nurse living in on-site accommodation, overseen by a very firm Matron. It was a disciplined system that ensured staffing stability and immediate availability when needed.

    I have also seen the other side of this. When I worked as a counsellor in Queensland, many clients with serious mental health issues had nowhere appropriate to go after institutions were closed. They were left trying to cope in the community without enough support.

    That combination, reduced on-site workforce support and under-resourced mental health care, seems to have weakened the system over time.

    From your perspective, what would make the most immediate difference in your area right now?

11. Andrew, your point about demographics, especially the ageing population and rising dependency ratios. That has been building for decades and does not get enough serious discussion.

    I agree that the issue is often simplified. Population growth is not just about migration, and the pressure on systems like healthcare is more complex than that.

    At the same time, demand is coming from multiple sources:
    • ageing Australians needing more care
    • overall population growth over time
    • increased expectations of the health system

    Your point about migrants is also worth noting. Many are of working age, contribute to the system, and often have limited access to public services due to visa conditions.

    The bigger issue seems to be that planning has not kept pace with known trends, whether that is ageing, population growth, or workforce needs.

    It shifts the question away from who is using the system to whether the system has been scaled properly.

12. @ Denis Hay: Where to start …..

    1) Immediate de-amalgamation of NELHD from the parasitic HLHD,

    2) Computerisation of admission procedures so that there is only a single written/typed entry, consulted by all succeeding enquiries;

    3) Affordable adequate housing for health service families as well as singles to encourage a permanent health work force ….. families on the dole get subsidised housing in excess of $80 per week rent, why are working health workers & emergency service workers excluded from this payment?

    4) The hospital wards at ANEH have become ”Aged Care” dumping grounds for persons unable to fund private care and unable to access the NDIS payments due to legislation.

    5) Build the proposed UNE Teaching Hospital, cost now estimated about $1.5 billion, that will provide many low skill job opportunities as well as health & medical services. Sydney politicians can afford to rip up & replace the rails of the Sydney Bankstown railway line for a mere $25 BILLION to install driverless trains on lighter rails, so the missing factor is the absence of ”political will” and ”future vision” by the NOtional$ political representatives.

13. @ Denis Hay: Our local ”New England Times” publisher has just joined the fray based on her personal experience.

    https://engage.netimes.com.au/2026/04/begin-rant-new-england-you-have-to-complain/

    The NET intervened in the recent Armidale Secondary College (ASC) debacle when the then Principal proved to be unfit for that appointment, and got some results.

    Sadly, the NOtional$ have educated New England voters to accept their ”do nothing” approach to government and politics, so that those politicians may carry on their own agendas of alcoholism, philandering and misogyny. So I do not hold my breath in this matter that has been progressing for about 30 years ….. self inflicted wound??