Carbon tax 'costs' Rocky hospital
ROCKHAMPTON Hospital could be slugged more than $300,000 by Julia Gillard's carbon tax, the Opposition says.
Coalition Regional Health Shadow Andrew Laming today said Rockhampton Hospital's 125 beds could potentially cost an additional $300,000 per year to run based on recently revealed Queensland Treasury figures outlining cost increases attributable to the carbon tax.
He said Queensland Treasury data revealed the carbon tax would add an extra $2,425 per hospital bed, totalling $30m in the first year alone.
Meanwhile NSW has conservatively estimated the average cost impact of the carbon tax will be just under $2,000 per available hospital bed, and Victoria has calculated average power costs to go up by at least 15%.
"The carbon tax seriously risks frontline health services such as emergency department beds, elective surgery and specialist outpatient services. The cost of everything this hospital does will just go up and up." Dr Laming said.
Dr Laming called on the Prime Minister to either scrap the tax or guarantee that there will be no reduction in health services because of the carbon tax.
"Not only will the carbon tax threaten jobs and increase the cost of living for Rockhampton families, but it appears that local health services will also be compromised at a time when they already face immense pressures," Dr Laming said today.
A spokesperson from Kirsten Livermore's office said this was just another stunt; a cut and paste job that Dr Laming had been using right across the country.
"Dr Laming was even caught out on Tasmanian radio last week when he fully admitted similar costs he had quoted were actually impossible to predict and the figures had not been calculated yet.
"Dr Laming seems to be behind the eight ball and out of context on this issue."
