The LNP has won in Qld – here’s what’s been promised for health

David Crisafulli has lead the Liberal National Party to victory in the Queensland state election, ending the Labor government's nine-year reign.

The new premier has promised the state a "fresh start", with election promises centred on the state's youth crime rates and health accessibility.

Upon his victory Mr Crisafulli thanked those who had supported his campaign and said that the state had voted for "hope over fear.”

“This result is a vindication of a hell of a lot of hard work and ahead of a little strategy, and I want outline how large this achievement is," he said.

“Of the last 12 general elections in this state, we have only won one on election night, and tonight we get to celebrate the biggest achievement we have had in over a decade.”

The last time the LNP was voted into power in Qld was in 2012 with Campbell Newman at the helm.

However, Mr Crisafulli's premiership will be under pressure from day one, after Friday’s Newspoll found former premier Steven Miles was the preferred candidate, leading Mr Crisafulli 45 to 42 per cent, despite the LNP being tipped to win the election.

During his election campaign Mr Crisafulli gave himself a bold 100-day deadline to improve both victim of crime numbers and elective surgery delays.

“(Also) within 100 days, you will see what’s happening in your hospital in real time, and you will have doctors and nurses back in charge of those hospitals," he said.

Related stories: Supply and demand: Nursing shortfall predicted to grow | Queenslanders’ petition for compassionate assisted dying | New Qld program upskills workers to reduce emergency admissions

The LNP's $590 million Easier Access to Health Services Plan is based on a three prong approach: diagnose, treat and cure.

Diagnose

The party plans to identify the areas that need government funding the most by establishing the collection of accurate and consistent real-time hospital data - in a bid to ease, what they are calling, a "health crisis" for the state's hospitals. The LNP has said that this will allow them to provide staff and resources efficiently and effectively.

Most importantly, perhaps, is the self-imposed deadline for the project of just 100 days.

Griffith University politics lecturer Dr Paul Williams said the premier has possibly made "a noose for his own neck," predicting that favour will turn back to the Labor party if the LNP's promises are not kept.

Treat

The incoming government has said they will improve triaging in Emergency Departments, reduce ambulance ramping to below 30 per cent in four years and fast-track elective surgeries.

Foundational to such lofty goals, the LNP said, are more doctors, nurses and paramedics, "contemporary models of care" and, of course, real-time hospital data.

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) Qld chair Dr Cath Hester congratulated Mr Crisafulli on his election win while also urging the new premier to prioritise access to affordable healthcare and tackle ongoing workforce shortages with targeted incentivisation.

“The LNP’s commitment to delivering real-time health data for the state’s hospitals is an important first step to improve information sharing across acute and primary care providers,” she said.

“We want to help the government empower general practice to reduce the strain on our emergency departments, make healthcare more affordable, and keep more Queenslanders out of hospital in the long term.

“We also urge the LNP government to continue measures to grow the GP workforce, including providing incentives for GPs in training. We know incentives work – this funding resulted in an immediate boost in GPs in training in Victoria.

“While fast-tracking trainee clinicians into paid work is commendable, we’re seeing fewer students choosing medicine as a career, and even fewer opting for general practice. Incentives are key to remove the main barrier for GPs in training, which is the pay cut they take when leaving hospital and going into private practice."

Cure

Lastly, LNP's health services plan has committed to delivering 34,200 extra health workers by 2032, with it's homegrown health workforce strategy.

The party has also promised a boost to diagnostic screening access across the state, the delivery of more dedicated mental health facilities and early delivery of hospital upgrades.

In a significant commitment to women, families and First Nations communities, both the LNP and Labor made a pre-election promise to reopen regional maternity wards in Biloela and Cooktown.

The Labor government earlier this month announced its plan to reopen Cooktown maternity services by mid-2025.

Rural Doctors' Association of Queensland (RDAQ) president Dr Danielle Allan said the return of birthing services to Cooktown will benefit the entire Eastern Cape community, as locals have been required to travel four and a half hours to Cairns for birthing services.

“It means women can access safe, collaborative birthing services closer to home and on Country. The broader population will also benefit from the additional medical staff and skills in emergency medicine and anaesthetics which having a local birthing service brings.”

Labor's Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services Shannon Fentiman said: "we understand how important it is for First Nations women to have the option to give birth on, or as close to, country."

“We know from reopening services in Weipa, that when we have the right facilities, the right leadership, and the right models of care, we can attract specialists to our most remote locations."

As David Crisafulli is set to be sworn in as the 41st Premier of Queensland, voters will now turn their attention towards the delivery of the LNP's healthcare promises.

"It is a crisis, and Queenslanders know it, and they are living it," Mr Crisafulli said. 

"This plan is thorough, it is detailed, and it is well-planned. Health workers are calling for it, patients are calling for it."

Read more: Third of healthcare workers delay tax return despite looming deadline | Lessons for the next pandemic: where did Australia go right and wrong in responding to COVID?