Nothing surprises me these days, so the latest bit of bad government from our Labor-Greens ACT government was just the latest in a saga of arrogant, disdainful treatment of an ACT community that keeps re-electing them regardless of how bad some of the government’s actions are.
However, the sheer apparent stupidity of the move was breathtaking. My wife Shirley, who tragically died last October, fought valiantly against various ailments for many years. We had cause to go to both the Canberra Hospital (TCH) and Calvary numerous times, especially in the last 15 years.
No hospital provides a perfect service, but I have found Calvary usually provides a better, quicker service than TCH. It appears to be better run. It does not have the same level of bureaucracy. It combines a good mix of public/private, and the Little Company of Mary has a good track record of running similar hospitals in other parts of Australia with more sensible governments. Catholic hospitals in Australia treat three patients every minute.
The short timeframe to complete the transfer (i.e., by 3 July this year) is ludicrous. The fact that Calvary’s agreement with the ACT government still had 74 years to run is of concern. The excuse that this will consolidate health services and lead to better outcomes is just plain wrong. How can it? The ACT government hospital has now some of the worst performances of any major hospital in the country, despite the valiant efforts of its medical staff. All objective analysis points to a further decline in services to the public.
One has to ask why this is happening. Is it part of some anti-religious crusade by the Greens and the left-wing members of the ACT Labor party? Is it because they hate the Catholic church and other Christian religions? Is that the real reason? As I wrote this article, I wondered how many of the current Green and Labor members of the assembly believe in God or have any faith. Are there any Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, or other faiths represented by our local Green and Labor MLAs. I hope religion is not the reason.
The local Catholic community has taken up a petition that clearly sets out its reasonable concerns about this. They state the actions of the ACT government are an abuse of property rights and religious freedom.
They are especially concerned that:
1. The legislation was drafted and tabled without any consultation with Calvary Hospital, management, staff, or patients.
2. The proposed timeframe demonstrates a complete unwillingness on the part of the ACT government to dialogue with its citizens.
3. The ACT government does not have the competence to run a second hospital, as it already struggles to provide adequate services at Canberra Hospital. (See the 2019 independent review.)
4. The government will target other faith, welfare, and community groups without consultation. Whatever happened to the old adage: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?
