Queensland axes 2,700 health jobs

Updated

Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg says more than 2,700 jobs will be axed from Queensland Health as part of the State Government's cost-cutting campaign.

In a video posted on Queensland Health's Facebook page and on the Queensland Health intranet today, Mr Springborg said a total of 2,754 jobs would be cut, reducing the number of full-time equivalent staff in Queensland Health to just over 66,000.

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He said 1,217 jobs would be cut from the Queensland Health corporate office by the end of the year.

The remaining job cuts, totalling 1,537, will come from within the newly created local hospital boards, right across Queensland.

Mr Springborg said the majority of the cuts were a hangover from the troubled payroll system and the "$1.25 billion payroll debacle" under the previous Labor government.

"Thanks to the previous government, this is year one in a five-year program of unfunded payroll costs," he said.

"Regrettably, and I mean this sincerely, there will be redundancies."

But he said he took "full responsibility" for the corporate office job cuts, which came as part of a reorganisation announced by the LNP Government.

"I take full responsibility for that, and apologise to those people who have been individually affected, but the reform was necessary," he said.

"We will work decently, compassionately, with true dignity with those people now to ensure that they understand the reason for the change and what we might be able to do to personally assist them.

"They will be offered voluntary redundancy or redeployment, but that may not necessarily achieve an alternative employment for many of those people.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Lawrence Springborg speaks to reporters in Brisbane today (ABC News)

"As minister I will always value our staff ... we have new technologies, greater workplace flexibility, and modern management, but valuing staff also means taking personal charge of the tough decisions."

But Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has expressed concern for the patients of Queensland.

She is certain patients will be affected.

"It is impossible to make such massive job cuts and not affect frontline services," she said.

"We know that frontline services will be affected, we know that patients will miss out."

The changes will reduce the number of divisions within Queensland Health from nine to three. There will also be two commercialised business units.

Reductions in the corporate office are expected to be completed by the end of this year, while reductions in hospital and health services should be complete by the end of next March.

Mr Springborg said the newly-created local hospital boards would have responsibility for redundancies in their areas.

The Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) is already embroiled in a dispute over the axing of 45 nursing positions at the Townsville hospital.

Ahead of the announcement, QNU spokesman Des Elder said workers would not go quietly.

"We will fight this with every ounce of strength to try and reject these changes," Mr Elder said.

"People are scared, apprehensive, but they are also very angry at the atrocious treatment that's being netted out to them."

More cuts to the public service will be unveiled when the state budget is handed down next week.

Topics: government-and-politics, public-sector, unions, health, healthcare-facilities, liberal-national-party, qld, brisbane-4000

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