Liberals’ Huon health promise unravels as TassieDoc farce exposed

The Liberals promised the Huon Valley a $15 million, purpose-built Medical Precinct with bulk-billing GPs, after-hours care, and a mental health hub. They announced it would be the first TassieDoc clinic, and they said they would determine a site within their first 100 days.

Six months later, that promise is shattered.

Not only is the Health Minister unable to identify a site, timeframe, or delivery plan, but she has now confirmed that the first TassieDoc will actually be in Deloraine.

After desperately promising to match Labor’s policy at the election, the Liberals are already walking away from it.

Instead of delivering new, government-run clinics to guarantee bulk-billed care, the Liberals are handing out grants to private providers and hoping for the best.

That’s not what Tasmanians were promised.

Tasmanians were promised real investment, real clinics, and real access to free healthcare. What they are getting instead is confusion, delay, and a watered-down policy that won’t deliver access to the free healthcare Tasmanians need.

Quotes attributable to Sarah Lovell MLC, Shadow Minister for Health:

“After 13 years of the Liberals, they are cutting health services to pay for their waste, and now we’re seeing the consequences in communities like the Huon.”

“Tasmanians were promised new, government-run clinics to guarantee bulk-billing care - not grants to private businesses.”

“If the Liberals are delivering a different model to what they promised voters, they need to be up front about it, not secretly shift the goalposts behind closed doors.

“This is a watered-down version of Labor’s policy that simply won’t deliver the access Tasmanians need.”

Quotes attributable to Labor candidate for Huon Abby McKibben:

“Improving access to healthcare is one of the main reasons I put my hand up to represent the people of the Huon.

“I’ve heard too many stories from people who can’t get in to see a medical professional when they need to, and these people can’t afford to wait any longer for the situation to improve.

“I know how much this community cares about having better access to healthcare, and I’ll keep working with locals to make sure the Huon gets the services it deserves.”