Fed: Wooldridge continues attack on Beazley

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2001
Fed: Wooldridge continues attack on Beazley

CANBERRA, Aug 23 AAP - Health Minister Michael Wooldridge today denied shortchanging
public hospitals by $200 million in federal funds and continued to accuse Opposition Leader
Kim Beazley of using his family to play politics.

Dr Wooldridge maintains that Mr Beazley lied about the circumstances surrounding the
Labor leader's daughter's admission to a Perth hospital for acute appendicitis.

The minister said hospital records proved Hannah Beazley had not been turned away for
treatment, but she had decided to seek surgery in a private hospital.

Mr Beazley was under fire in parliament yesterday after he told the Labor caucus about
his 22-year-old daughter's treatment at the hospital.

He blamed confusion about her story on mistakes at the official caucus briefing to
reporters after the government accused him of lying about a story his daughter was turned
away from the hospital.

Dr Wooldridge today continued his attack on Mr Beazley.

"Absolutely," Dr Wooldridge told the Seven Network when asked if he stood by his comments
yesterday.

"Mr Beazley has been caught out now on four occasions telling things that are untruthful,
trying to use his family to make a cheap political point which is completely inaccurate."

Dr Wooldridge denied the federal government shortchanged public hospital funding by
$200 million a year.

"That's complete rubbish," he said.

Hospitals were way ahead and had received a 27 per cent real increase over five years, he said.

"There are some pressures," he said.

"But to try and deliberately put concern in the public's mind over a case that actually
went very well I think is beyond the pale.

"Mr Beazley has not been telling the truth about this and to be saying his daughter
was turned away when in fact she was seen within five minutes, given pain relief within
10, fully worked up within an hour and a half I think calls into question his credibility."

AAP lm/ph

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS WOOLDRIDGE

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