Oz election thread #3 - Rudd's Labour

What state you in? NSW hospitals are a disaster. Late now, but I'll expand on some of our recent experiences at a later date.

Queensland at the moment. There were three people in my ward at Nambour hospital who clearly should have been in palliative care. One guy required two orderlies and two nurses for his daily bed change and turnover. He wasn't ever getting out of the system and he knew it. His skin was too frail to heal. Nice guy, but he really wasn't a "hospital case" if you get my drift.

Back to the thread, the PM assured everyone that he would be taking control of state-run hopitals, if the situation with waiting lists, etc. did not improve. I'd suggest he worries less about his international status as a mover and shaker on the environmental issues, and start tidying up our back yard.

I really like the Kevmeister, but he's not a diplomat now, he's our PM. I'd hazard a guess that he's spent more time abroad than at home. Charity starts at home, for mine. Fix our most pressing issues first, please. Those would be health, housing, and duplication of services. The amalgamation of councils showed us how top-heavy Australian public service workers are.

My suggestion for the health system is to train up those public servants that are now drawing a wage for doing bugger-all after the amalgamation, to slot into current hospital staff positions, as trouble-shooters, weeding out those who seem to like standing around with clipboards, looking important, while achieving next-to-nothing. And believe me, when you are lying on a guerney for six hours, getting jabbed with morphine, those individuals are not at all hard to pick from the determined workers.

Greetings, Builder. Lovely to see you again!

I must confess I've (reluctantly) almost given up on this thread. Due to lack of interest & participation. (Check out the rating, for starters. )

I suggest that this was an "ambit" position, Builder. Electioneering.
To pull the states into line & make it look like the federal government was taking the issue seriously. But (as you can see) not much has changed at all.

The Labor government is not going to rock any boat in its quest to keep "middle Australia" on side. Pragmatism rules. And it's working very well (with middle Australia). Look at the polls.

I'm watching the refugee situation very closely at the moment. Not all that much difference between the Rudd position & the Howard position, as far as I can see.

Back when my daughter was sick and we spent 12 hours over 2 days sitting in the pediatric observation room, I had a window into the emergency ward. Every bed full and I doubt that anyone in there was under 75 years of age. They didn't need emergency care. They need geriatric care. It might sound heartless, but people at the end of their lives shouldn't be clogging up our emergency departments. I'm going to make sure I take steps to ensure that I'm not a burden on my children or the health system if I reach that age and my quality of life is gone.

Yeah Wilso. If I get the bone pointed at me, I'm wheeling my chair to some likely lookout, and taking the drop for posterity. Being a burden on anybody doesn't rate high on my scale of independence.

No comment. I can't stand this!