Media Release

25 October 2017: KAP Federal Leader and Member for Kennedy, Hon Bob Katter MP, raised a pressing issue in Parliament today - Mareeba Hospital’s battle against privatisation - no outpatient services - and the losing battle of the free hospital system in Australia.

“I rise to speak on probably the most important issue that exists in our society today.

“We have no outpatients in Queensland. Effectively, all of the outpatients are being closed. That means that if you are sick or need medical care, you have to go to the local private medical practitioners.

“In Mareeba we had a meeting and a thousand people turned up. I know that because I counted the number of people.

“In the case of Mareeba, the major medical practitioners are turning away up to 23 people a day,” Mr Katter said.

One prime example is Mareeba based GP, Dr Grant Manypenney.

“Dr Manypenney is a very good citizen. And because the state government has almost doubled the wages for doctors, if he charges by bulk-billing, he cannot pay his doctors. There's just not enough money there to do it and that is happening throughout all of Queensland.

“One of our proudest achievements as Australians was to introduce one of the first free hospital systems in the world. The irony is, it is a classic example of where a quarter of the system has vanished into privatisation,” said Mr Katter.

Mareeba is near the home and in the electorate the great Edward ‘Red Ted’ Theodore who represented the area in the early 1900s and who introduced the free hospital system.

“Red Ted introduced a free hospital system - the epitome of economical, nationalism and a ‘fair go’ for all.

“Now unless you have a serious emergency or a serious illness then you do not get free hospital access in Mareeba, as is the case in so many other towns throughout Queensland.

“The politicians have cleverly kidnapped a quarter of the free hospital system out from under us, and it will be the first time in 120 years that Mareeba has gone without a free hospital system.

“I praise all of the fighters in Mareeba who have supported the ‘Save our Hospital’ group,” Mr Katter concluded.

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