MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan has again slammed the Labor Government’s response to healthcare in the Northern Tablelands with their refusal to answer questions regarding expenditure on locum doctors in hospitals.

In a Question On Notice directed to the Minister for Regional Health, Mr Moylan sought the total expenditure on locum doctors and specialists for Armidale, Glen Innes, Inverell and Moree hospitals.

But the Minns Labor Government has once again shown how out of touch they are with healthcare in regional NSW, instead refusing to answer question deflecting to instead claim providing figures could “distort the locum labour market” and “affect future commercial negotiations”.

“Hospitals across the Northern Tablelands rely heavily on temporary staff to keep their doors open but the NSW Government refuses to reveal how much that is costing taxpayers,” Mr Moylan said.

“This question simply asked for total expenditure – not contracts, not hourly rates, and not negotiation strategies.

Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan said the Minns Labor Government has once again proved how out of touch they are with the healthcare needs of regional New South Wales (Photo: Simon Scott).

“All evidence suggest the reliance on locums is growing which means costs are increasing.

“Regional communities in NSW deserve transparency on how their healthcare services are running.

“We deserve to know if using locums to fill gaps in healthcare it is sustainable long-term or whether the government has any real plans to fix workforce problems.

“The people in the Northern Tablelands deserve honesty but the government has instead decided to withhold information from the public to avoid scrutiny and accountability.”

Shadow Minister for Regional Health Sarah Mitchell said the Minns Labor Government can find plenty of excuses but never any solutions when it comes to regional health.

“Taxpayers in the Northern Tablelands have every right to know how their money is being spent. This isn’t a commercial secret – it’s the budgets of public hospitals and the government should be honest about the costs,” Mrs Mitchell said.

“If Chris Minns and Ryan Park were comfortable with what they’re spending on locums, they’d have no problem saying so. Their silence speaks volumes.”