Enough talk, Mr Rudd

Toni Mcrae | 5th November 2009

FRASER Coast Health Focus Group chairman councillor Gerard O’Connell fired a barrage of angry shots after Kevin Rudd’s performance at a local health forum.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd addresses the health forum at Hervey Bay Hospital on Tuesday. Photo:

“WE’VE heard you, Prime Minister. We agree. We’ve actually heard it all before.

“Now do something ... and we’ll help you.”

Fraser Coast councillor Gerard O’Connell, chair Cr of the Fraser Coast Health Focus Group, yesterday fired a barrage of angry shots across Kevin Rudd’s polished local health forum gig at the Hervey Bay Hospital on Tuesday.

“He said nothing we haven’t known or heard before," Cr O’Connell said afterwards.

“He laid it bare in front of us with a polished performance, complete with power point slides.

“Terrific. Thanks for coming, Prime Minister.

“But frankly after that I was terribly terribly disappointed.”

Mr O’Connell said: “Did he answer one question? No.”

He took questions for 40 minutes and he gave longer answers than questions.

“He didn’t disagree with anyone.

“But it was all stuff we on the Fraser Coast have known for too long. He just reinforced what we know from a national perspective and dropped in the name of the Fraser Coast.

“My God, what a report card on failure.”

Mr O’Connell said that for two years the federal government has had “a terrific mandate to do something about health”.

“But what have they done? And what has Kevin Rudd done? And did he say anything yesterday about getting on with the job?

“I say to him all that money that yesterday he said the government had poured into the health system, did nothing but buy desks, put people at desks, and it hasn’t put patients in beds.”

“I actually did say to him ‘This needs leadership’.

“He had then an opportunity missed to say to us ‘Have you got a model that might work?’

“I told him we want to have a pilot project. He had the money in his pocket. He offered nothing.”

Mr O’Connell said he wanted the Prime Minister to say “Go and get your critical audit done now.”

“Then bring in a governance model, a management model that puts it in place.”

“Don’t bring in another of your road shows until you bring in the solution, Mr Rudd.”

Do you agree with Fraser Coast councillor Gerard O’Connell's comments? Do you think Rudd is 'all talk and no action' on the matter? Leave your comments below.

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