Petitioners want Lucas to go

Health workers call for minister to take responsibility for pay bungle.

Close to 800 Queenslanders have signed an online petition calling for the resignation of Health Minister Paul Lucas over the health payroll fiasco.

Auditor-General Glenn Poole last week delivered a damning report on the bungled rollout of Queensland Health's new payroll system, which has seen thousands of workers incorrectly paid.

Queensland Public Sector Union (QPSU) general secretary Alex Scott on Saturday launched www.standupstepdown.com, where people can register their calls for Lucas to go.

By 3pm (AEST) on Monday, 780 people had signed up on the website.

Scott said the payroll disaster was an "unprecedented failure of public administration".

He has promised rolling protests at hospitals and in the community if the minister does not resign.

"This campaign won't go away," he said.

"The community should determine when ministers step down, not politicians.

"If Paul Lucas doesn't step down, the concept of ministerial accountability in public administration is dead."

Lucas, who is also the deputy premier, has repeatedly refused to stand down as health minister, saying he is committed to staying to fix the system.

"The premier (Anna Bligh) and the deputy premier announced that the government would not only implement all seven of the recommendations contained within the auditor-general's report, but would go further," a spokeswoman for Lucas said in a statement.

"The deputy premier and the Minister for Public Works (Robert Schwarten) have already started implementing those changes."

AAP

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