“Queenslanders living in rural and regional areas will be hardest hit by the Beattie Labor Government’s radical changes to limit free public hospital treatment, Nationals Senator for Queensland, Barnaby Joyce said today.

Senator Joyce said people in rural and regional areas invariably had limited choice over whether they attended a private or public hospital with many areas only having access to just one hospital.

“This is a disturbing health policy turnaround by Beattie. It is light on details and fails to indicate how it will impact on all Queenslanders,” Senator Joyce said

“Not all Queenslanders live in Brisbane and have a smorgasbord of hospitals at their fingertips. This policy discriminates against those people that may only have access to public health services – a situation often faced in rural and regional Queensland.

“Many people in regional and rural areas have private health cover because if you become seriously ill the availability of specialised treatment is limited and accessing treatment is subsequently much higher.”

“Rural regional battlers should not be further burdened through Beattie’s reforms to end free public hospital access.

“Rural and regional areas have unique circumstances and I am very concerned that Peter Beattie’s comments that “our public health system has run as a charity in many areas” foreshadow further rationalisation of services in rural areas.

Senator Joyce has written to Premier, Peter Beattie and Health Minister, Stephen Robertson expressing concerns on the impact of the policy on regional and rural areas and urging a rethink of forcing this discriminatory policy.

ENDS