The Opposition Is Not Pleased With What Is Going On in E-Health. Here Is The Latest Press Release.

The following press release has just appeared from Senator Sue Boyce, Senator for Queensland.

LABOR’S E-HEALTH PLANS VANISH

March 23, 2012

Despite assurances from Health Minister Plibersek that the Government e-health system will start on July 1 this year, the legislation to enable this still hasn't been debated and passed by the Senate.

"The Government's Personally Controlled E-Health Records Bill has just vanished off the face of the earth and wasn't put up by the Government for debate in this last sitting session before the Budget," Senator Sue Boyce said today.

"The very earliest the Bill can be passed now is the week of May 8 to 10, just seven weeks before the PCEHR program is due to start.

"Coalition MPs have been warning the Government for more than 12 months that their start-up date was too ambitious. Now it looks as though Minister Plibersek secretly agrees.

"It's just another example of the shambolic and systemic mismanagement by the Gillard Government. The Government makes a big deal of announcing a date and then scrambles ineptly to meet the deadline irrespective of the quality of their programs.

"The Coalition has argued that the July 1 2012 timetable is foolish and even dangerous. Expert evidence from clinicians, privacy organisations and the medical software industry is that neither the processes nor the systems have been adequately tested before being unleashed on the public and there are a huge range of problems which need to be ironed out.

“A recent all party Senate committee inquiry into the Government’s proposed legislation that would enable the July launch of the PCEHR was highly critical of it and in a minority report, Coalition senators urged the government to withdraw the legislation and postpone the launch of PCEHR by at least twelve months,” said Senator Sue.

“Well it seems the Government has accepted our advice by default.

"The Government have spent at least $467 million and some would argue even more on the nation’s transition to an E-Health system and yet four years later we have almost nothing to show for it.

“The Coalition wholeheartedly supports the creation of national E-Health system, in fact it was Tony Abbott as Health Minister who first got the idea off the ground but under Labor it has become a program without substance, expenditure without result,” said Senator Sue.

“A properly developed e-health system would save Australia billions of dollars but under Labor it has just become another way to waste taxpayer’s money.

-----

Passed on for information.
Also - A little bird has told me Mr Gonski has resigned as NEHTA Chairperson.
As one wit just put it to me:
"So no Boss, no budget no legislation, no product, no PCEHR and no future"
Oh dear! Awaiting confirmation of the rumour of course at this point.

David.