On Sunday the Malinauskas Government spin machine released its latest taxpayer funded big budget blockbuster.
“Building a bigger health system” a $1.9 million campaign to tell South Australians what a great job they are doing with the health system following two of the worst months of ramping in our states history. Over July and August, South Australian patients were left languishing on the ramp for almost 11,000 hours.
“The advertisement depicts a fantasy land far from the reality that frontline health workers are telling us about each and every day in our health system. They are broken and disenchanted with this government’s approach,” said Hon. Ben Hood MLC, Shadow Minister for Government Accountability.
“We have watched this Government take money out of primary care with their GP Payroll Tax grab and put it straight into their own pompous propaganda. This advertisement is an affront to the many South Australians who can no longer afford to see their GP when they need to because of Peter Malinauskas.
Instead of making health care more accessible for South Australians, Peter Malinauskas is more focused on using taxpayer money to spin his way out of his broken election promise. In March 2022, the Premier told South Australians he would fix the ramping crisis. This month we heard from the Premier’s Delivery Unit that this is no longer the plan.
“I know I speak for regional South Australians who feel like second class citizens when it comes to access to health care services, when I say this is an inappropriate use of taxpayer money, which would be much better spent providing health care not spin,” said Mr Hood.
The Opposition supported the Government Advertising Bill 2024 introduced into the Legislative Council by the Hon. Rob Simms, MLC which contains identical provisions to legislation introduced by the SA Liberal Party 2019.
Ramping hours under Peter Malinauskas have now reached almost 110,000 hours. This $1.9 million advertisement campaign could be much better spent addressing the systemic issues causing the ramping crisis instead of trying to pull the wool over the eyes of South Australians.
“This is a bad government spending taxpayer money to convince South Australians they are a good government.”