1
00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:05,760
Speaker 1: For the phone.

2
00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:08,440
Speaker 2: We've got the New South Wales labor leader, Chris Min's

3
00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:09,480
Speaker 2: on the phone, Mornic, how are.

4
00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,520
Speaker 3: You, good morning, Phil, Thanks for having me.

5
00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:12,560
Speaker 1: On, Thank you for your time.

6
00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,640
Speaker 2: So your idea is to redesign and repair the structure

7
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:17,320
Speaker 2: of the New South Wales health system.

8
00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:18,040
Speaker 1: What's wrong with it?

9
00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:20,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it seems a bit complicated, but the truth

10
00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,680
Speaker 3: of the matter is we're seeing nurses leave public hospitals

11
00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,080
Speaker 3: in massive, massive numbers, overworked, stressed, leaving for the private

12
00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,960
Speaker 3: sector or other states, or just a profession altogether. So

13
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,680
Speaker 3: we need to fundamentally change it. We're promising one hundred

14
00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,720
Speaker 3: and seventy five millal dollars to hire an additional twelve

15
00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,440
Speaker 3: hundred nurses across the state. We think this is a

16
00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,600
Speaker 3: fundamental formatal fixer. Public hospital system which is in classis

17
00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:42,959
Speaker 3: at the.

18
00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,199
Speaker 2: Moment right and so how short staffed is it and

19
00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:46,159
Speaker 2: why is this happening?

20
00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,400
Speaker 3: Yeah, we're seeing a situation at the moment where many

21
00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,880
Speaker 3: experienced nurses, particularly in western Sydney hospitals are up and leaguing,

22
00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,240
Speaker 3: particularly for Queensland and Victoria. The Nurses Association suggests that

23
00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,040
Speaker 3: several thousand have on in the last few years because

24
00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,600
Speaker 3: pay and conditions are better in other states. So it's

25
00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,600
Speaker 3: very difficult to attract people to the profession because it's

26
00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,600
Speaker 3: hard to train that number of people up in a

27
00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,520
Speaker 3: short period of time. You're far better to retain those

28
00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,040
Speaker 3: people that already work in the system and until you'd

29
00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,280
Speaker 3: know that. Often nurses have got decades worth of experience

30
00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,399
Speaker 3: of course in Western Sydney BDS, and we need them

31
00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:22,240
Speaker 3: on the job of working.

32
00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:23,880
Speaker 1: So I'm with that in mind.

33
00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:26,640
Speaker 2: I mean, if you want to for all intents and purposes,

34
00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,040
Speaker 2: fast track not just nurses but security guards and health

35
00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,679
Speaker 2: professionals and paramedics as well, how do you do that?

36
00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a difficult one. The truth is the government

37
00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:41,000
Speaker 3: generally recruits about four hundred nurses a year. In twenty

38
00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,000
Speaker 3: twenty two they increased it to twenty eight hundred, and

39
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 3: then last year or this next year they're proposing over

40
00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,240
Speaker 3: three thousand. They've already had four thousand applications, so we

41
00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,560
Speaker 3: know there's capacity there. We also know that three five

42
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,720
Speaker 3: hundred people are up and less to other states. So

43
00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:57,400
Speaker 3: if we can retain more of them in New South

44
00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,000
Speaker 3: Wales offer better conditions in the workplace, we're really confident

45
00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,040
Speaker 3: more people will stay, and that puts less pressure on

46
00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,440
Speaker 3: the need to recruit more people to the profession because

47
00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,440
Speaker 3: you've got all these people that are already currently working

48
00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,200
Speaker 3: there that you can convince to stay on.

49
00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:11,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's the thing.

50
00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,160
Speaker 2: If you're trying to replace people who are really experienced,

51
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,000
Speaker 2: therein lies the issue as well, because you've got people

52
00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,120
Speaker 2: that have got years of experience and trying to replace

53
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,840
Speaker 2: them straight away quite a task. What seems to be

54
00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,200
Speaker 2: the main concern then for the people, the nurses and

55
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,680
Speaker 2: the health professionals who are leaving, Yeah.

56
00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,480
Speaker 3: Just overworked and overstretched, particularly in emergency departments, particularly on

57
00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:34,959
Speaker 3: the midnight shift. I've been going out at two o'clock

58
00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,800
Speaker 3: in the morning to Westmead and Blacktown hospitals speaking to

59
00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,560
Speaker 3: nurses that are doing the midnight shift, and it's really

60
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,239
Speaker 3: difficult work. And in many cases there's more attractive pain

61
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,880
Speaker 3: conditions in the private sector or in our states, so

62
00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,760
Speaker 3: they're not choosing to stay now. No one would become

63
00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,200
Speaker 3: a busy intensive care nurse or an emergency department nurse

64
00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,280
Speaker 3: to get rich. You do it because it's a wonderful

65
00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,440
Speaker 3: vocation and you're committed to public service. But we've got

66
00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,480
Speaker 3: to be with that nurses who've done it tough up

67
00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,800
Speaker 3: for the last few years and they've been asking us

68
00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,600
Speaker 3: for a big reform like this. State staff levels is

69
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,280
Speaker 3: the reform that we think is going to save the

70
00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,600
Speaker 3: health system in a very difficult period. We think it's affordable,

71
00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:14,440
Speaker 3: we think it's deliverable, and we'll do it in the

72
00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:16,960
Speaker 3: first term of the Labor government if we renolection in March, of.

73
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,840
Speaker 2: Course, and it's largely a thankless task ause well, as

74
00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,680
Speaker 2: you say, nurses work incredibly long hours and doctors as well,

75
00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,519
Speaker 2: often without any gratitude for the work that they're doing.

76
00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,520
Speaker 1: So obviously highlighting that is important.

77
00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,240
Speaker 2: But I noticed this today and the Telegraph that they

78
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,919
Speaker 2: said their new South Wales Health Report said that the

79
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,160
Speaker 2: number of patients being seen in emergency departments has plummeted

80
00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,800
Speaker 2: to the lowest since records began in twenty ten. Only

81
00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,480
Speaker 2: about six and ten patients were seen during this time

82
00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,360
Speaker 2: April to June quarter, which is the lowest in twelve years.

83
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,040
Speaker 2: So it really is a knock on effect.

84
00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:48,160
Speaker 1: For that too.

85
00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,640
Speaker 3: One understand there's something like seventy five thousand people walked

86
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,839
Speaker 3: into an emergency department in three months, saw how many

87
00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,720
Speaker 3: people were waiting there and how long the weight would be,

88
00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,640
Speaker 3: and turned around and left without getting any treatment at all.

89
00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,000
Speaker 3: So we know that which is the worst figure ever recorded,

90
00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,200
Speaker 3: So we know it's under unprecedented stress. So much of

91
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,000
Speaker 3: the pressures falling on the shoulders are very hard working

92
00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,839
Speaker 3: nurses in public hospitals and we need to make sure

93
00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:15,680
Speaker 3: that they've got a plan so they know that helps

94
00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:16,080
Speaker 3: on the way.

95
00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:18,320
Speaker 2: Can I tell you this though, having lived in the UK,

96
00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,039
Speaker 2: and they're very, very fond of the NHS, and it's

97
00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,000
Speaker 2: highly revered there and also in America where their health

98
00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,599
Speaker 2: systems all over the place, but with the NHS in particular.

99
00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:28,800
Speaker 1: As I say that, you know they're very proud of it.

100
00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,320
Speaker 2: But for me, the observation I had when I was

101
00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,919
Speaker 2: in the UK is that the NHS was hanging on

102
00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,640
Speaker 2: by a thread. It seems here that the health service

103
00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,240
Speaker 2: in Australia is far superior to a lot of the

104
00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:42,240
Speaker 2: health services that we have in the rest of the world.

105
00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, we've got a wonderful health service in New South Wales,

106
00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,559
Speaker 3: we've got Medicare, we've got bold building which takes pressure

107
00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,040
Speaker 3: off emergency departments and We've got it free, so you

108
00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,240
Speaker 3: can turn up to an emergency department and get world

109
00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:57,080
Speaker 3: class care. But so there's never been under more pressure,

110
00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,120
Speaker 3: and I think in many ways was have not realized

111
00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:03,640
Speaker 3: how difficult to work in His COVID has really put

112
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,840
Speaker 3: a spotlight on these professionals that do it day and

113
00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,159
Speaker 3: day out. But they're leaving in droves. And if we

114
00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,000
Speaker 3: don't get this right and the predictions of people leaving

115
00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:13,920
Speaker 3: the profession turn out to be true, we'll never get

116
00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,400
Speaker 3: it back and that's going to put enormous pressure on

117
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,120
Speaker 3: our public hospital system. It's the jewel in the crown,

118
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:20,720
Speaker 3: I think, a public service, and we need to make

119
00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,600
Speaker 3: sure that our paramedics, our nurses, and the doctors who

120
00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:25,120
Speaker 3: work there are fully backed up.

121
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:26,920
Speaker 2: That's right, I appreciate it. It's we had a couple

122
00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,000
Speaker 2: of ideas for you as well. I've played this a

123
00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,039
Speaker 2: few moments ago to Sean from the newsbooks. There's the

124
00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,360
Speaker 2: Canadian Prime minister who found himself in a sticky situation

125
00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:37,800
Speaker 2: in a press conference where he swallowed a bee. I'm

126
00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:39,599
Speaker 2: going to play this to you. So he's talking and

127
00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:40,520
Speaker 2: he swallows a bee.

128
00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:45,520
Speaker 1: Right, it's coming from the health sector. Hotly cras they

129
00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,360
Speaker 1: just swallowed the beef. Holy grace, that little bugger. I'm good.

130
00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,000
Speaker 1: He's down here buzzing around right now.

131
00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:52,800
Speaker 2: So I'm thinking to you, if you find yourself in

132
00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,880
Speaker 2: a sticky situation and a press conference, use the bee option.

133
00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:57,760
Speaker 2: I mean, you can only use it once and then

134
00:05:57,800 --> 00:05:58,840
Speaker 2: people will see through it.

135
00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:01,320
Speaker 3: If you did it twice, be pretty.

136
00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,680
Speaker 2: But if you know, yeah, exactly, if you don't know

137
00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,960
Speaker 2: the answer to the question and you know it hasn't

138
00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,160
Speaker 2: been done, use that means somebody will sidle up to

139
00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:10,640
Speaker 2: you and go use the B option.

140
00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,160
Speaker 1: Do it once, but never again. But it's there in

141
00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:14,080
Speaker 1: case you need it.

142
00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:18,320
Speaker 3: In case of emergency break glass exactly, there's no question

143
00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:18,840
Speaker 3: about it.

144
00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,720
Speaker 2: And secondly, Kate, who works here, who's the producer, says

145
00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,320
Speaker 2: you're a very attractive man, and for that reason alone

146
00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:28,960
Speaker 2: she finds you, you know, perhaps as our next leader

147
00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:29,560
Speaker 2: in your South.

148
00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,880
Speaker 1: Was I think you could probably trade on that as well.

149
00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:34,840
Speaker 2: If you've got this sort of animal magnetism about yourself,

150
00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:37,960
Speaker 2: undoing an extra button of the shirt, I think you know,

151
00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,159
Speaker 2: and perhaps you use that whatever it takes.

152
00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:44,559
Speaker 3: Trouble.

153
00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,360
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to help, well.

154
00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:52,800
Speaker 3: I appreciate that.

155
00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:52,800
Speaker 1: Lovely to you, thank you so much for your time.

156
00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:53,880
Speaker 3: They Phil