Queensland Liberal leader David Crisafulli, incumbent Labor Premier Steven Miles, and state Greens spokesperson for health Amy MacMahon. Photo: LNP, QLD Government, Greens.
Ahead of the Queensland election this Saturday (26 October), the state’s peak body for public health has published a scorecard ranking the major parties’ commitment to each of its five priorities.
These include investing in preventative health measures within and beyond the health system, protecting women and children, acting boldly on climate change, supporting self-determination for First Nations’ health, and building the state’s public health and health promotion workforce.
The scorecard from the Public Health Association of Australia’s (PHAA) Queensland branch is part of its Vote for Public Health election campaign platform, which it has organised with the state branch of the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA).
Branch president, Associate Professor Amie Steel said her organisation encouraged eligible voters to consider where the major parties stood, because “we believe that should the next Queensland Government act on those five areas, it will improve the health and wellbeing of everyone across the state”.
“Serious efforts to reduce the likelihood of people getting sick will alleviate pressures on our ambulances and hospitals, and also the cost of living.”
In its efforts to create this scorecard, the PHAA wrote to LNP leader David Crisafulli to clarify his party’s stance on abortion care. Professor Steel said the organisation was “not convinced by the LNP’s denials”.
“While Mr Crisafulli’s response says changes to abortion laws ‘are not a part of the LNP’s plans, we have ruled that out’, LNP candidates such as Freya Ostapovitch have been quoted as saying they need to form government first.”
Recently The Guardian obtained audio of the LNP candidate for Stretton who was secretly recorded telling a voter at a pre-poll booth “I am pro-life” and claiming that abortion “can increase the risk of breast cancer”, but that she couldn’t “say anything yet because we have got to get elected”.
Source: QLD PHAA.
In the original letter sent to Mr Crisafulli on 14 October, PHAA QLD said that while it greatly appreciated the LNP’s response to its election survey – the organisation “absolutely stands behind all women enjoying the right to control their own bodies, and to have adequate services available to give full practical effect to that right”.
“We feel that your party, as a serious contender to have a majority in the next State Parliament, has an undeniable responsibility to comprehensively inform voters about what might happen in that event.
“Answers with language such as ‘we have no plan …’, or ambiguity about whether conscience votes might be allowed on bills put forward by minor party MLAs, are not sufficient.
“We ask you to make such a public statement immediately, given that voting has already commenced.”
Source: QLD PHAA.
The letter from the QLD Liberal leader’s office thanked the PHAA for its email sent on behalf of Professor Steel, but wrote “David and his team have been very clear regarding this issue”.
“Changes to abortion laws in Queensland are not a part of the LNP’s plans, we have ruled that out, categorically.”
It went on to discuss the present, where “Queenslanders are struggling with a broken health system, cost of living pressures, a housing market that is not working for Queenslanders and youth crime that is out of control”.
“Time and time again Queenslanders have told us that these are the issues that need to be addressed and that is why these issues are front and centre for the LNP and our Right Plan for Queensland.”
