Thread: Gloomy news on the Health Front

Originally Posted by 303gunner

It's no Mystery. The rest of Australia has bled NSW dry. Since the GST was introduced in 2000, NSW has been on a slow decline of tax revenue, facing pressure to revoke state taxes in return for receiving GST dividends, NSW has consistently received less GST revenue than the proportion raised within the State, and less than the previous State tax revenue forgone. Complaints to the Fed Govt that we weren't getting enough fell on deaf ears with Howard saying that every cent of GST revenue was returned to the states, and if we'd like more, we'd have to fight the other states at the Premier's conference. Naturally, state's like Qld and WA were quite happy to keep their share and use it to keep down their local taxes like fuel levies and registrations at our expense.

While you can argue the the NSW Govt is mismanaging the state (with funding problems not just affecting Health, but also Education, Police, Transport, Roads, Power Generation, Fire Service, Nat Pks......... etc, etc), I think they're doing all that could be done with the minimal amount they've got. Just about every problem in the State revolves around funding, and the blame for that lies with the GST.

I don't think this is an adequate explanation - NSW (and Victoria) have been on the short end of federal funding ever since federation. This was (part of) the price that they had to pay to get federation, and the GST changed nothing (the "minor" states paid more for everything to prop up manufacturing etc in NSW and Vic for seventy-five or more years). The revenue from GST has far exceeded estimates, so there if indeed it is providing less than the state taxes forgone (most of which are still applied anyway) the (previous) state government is to blame for wanting to agree to it.

I think that apart from simple mismanagement, there has been a whole range of state government initiatives whose cost has not been even considered. A lot of these have decreased revenue by driving business away from the state.

John

Originally Posted by 101 Ron

What was the name of that health minister that did not cut it ?
Areeba Meaher ? (spelling)
She did not do a thing except stuff up and was only running the show for a short period of time.
She has retired now at 41 years age with a very good super and perks for the rest of her life.
That's where the money is going.
Currently we have a old union crow-nee running NSW health.........what does he know about medial matters and making the public dollar count .
We need people who have learnt to make dollars count in real life and have some sort of medial back ground to run things instead of jobs for the boys.

Reeba Meagher I think.

I suspect typical of the GWAHS problem is that most of the problems are the fault of the CEO - who is a doctor; a doctor of philosophy in management.

Perhaps symptomatic of the state's (and the modern idea) of emphasis on paper qualifications and measuring results only in $.

John

If the NSW government is short of funds all they have to do is think up and levy some new taxes. Every time I go to Sydney (and Melbourne) I can see the obvious signs of prosperity. The city is awash with wealth. Expensive imported cars everywhere, Porsches commonplace, high end Benz, BMW, Audi likewise. Once you might see a Ferrari every sixmonth but now they are seen daily. Expensive shops and prestige brand name franchises all over. Well dressed people. Pubs, clubs, restaurants all busy. Expensive housing. Bays and marinas chock full of expensive boats. There is wealth out there yet untaxed. Rivers of money.

Originally Posted by 303gunner

It's no Mystery. The rest of Australia has bled NSW dry. Since the GST was introduced in 2000, NSW has been on a slow decline of tax revenue,
<snip>

Actually, NSW should have been swimming in revenue from the housing boom. As Stamp Duties boomed (it hadn't been budgeted for ) Treasury was rolling in it, so where has all that gone ?
Add to that Royalties from Coal mining (when was the last time you heard of a coal mine knocked back ??) as well as all the other income streams (eg vehicle registration, in fact most registrations are more than the other states) this state should be in far better financial health than it is.

As JD says, it's straight out mismanagement.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

If the NSW government is short of funds all they have to do is think up and levy some new taxes. Every time I go to Sydney (and Melbourne) I can see the obvious signs of prosperity. The city is awash with wealth. Expensive imported cars everywhere, Porsches commonplace, high end Benz, BMW, Audi likewise. Once you might see a Ferrari every sixmonth but now they are seen daily. Expensive shops and prestige brand name franchises all over. Well dressed people. Pubs, clubs, restaurants all busy. Expensive housing. Bays and marinas chock full of expensive boats. There is wealth out there yet untaxed. Rivers of money.

Brian, Brian, Brian, you know most of that's on the never-never

When I was in hospital a few years ago I was told that while I was in hospital (public patient) the charges for seeing a specialist went to the state government. The charges for seeing the same specialist at the hospital's outpatient clinic was charged to the Federal government under Medicare.

It was also made clear to me that there was a great enthusiasm for moving the billing along to Medicare as quickly as safely possible.

Explained a lot of things to me.

What a stupid system.

Simon

Originally Posted by 303gunner

It's no Mystery. The rest of Australia has bled NSW dry. Since the GST was introduced in 2000, NSW has been on a slow decline of tax revenue, facing pressure to revoke state taxes in return for receiving GST dividends, NSW has consistently received less GST revenue than the proportion raised within the State, and less than the previous State tax revenue forgone. Complaints to the Fed Govt that we weren't getting enough fell on deaf ears with Howard saying that every cent of GST revenue was returned to the states, and if we'd like more, we'd have to fight the other states at the Premier's conference. Naturally, state's like Qld and WA were quite happy to keep their share and use it to keep down their local taxes like fuel levies and registrations at our expense.

While you can argue the the NSW Govt is mismanaging the state (with funding problems not just affecting Health, but also Education, Police, Transport, Roads, Power Generation, Fire Service, Nat Pks......... etc, etc), I think they're doing all that could be done with the minimal amount they've got. Just about every problem in the State revolves around funding, and the blame for that lies with the GST.

How many times ave we heard this before.

Poor old NSW. It's all the fault of the other states.

Hang on while I go and get my tissues and a violin.

Oh yes, I want a Dubbo doctor.

Dubbo doctor in hot water for posing as prostitute on YouTube - National

Dubbo doctor in hot water for posing as prostitute on YouTube

Kate Benson Medical Reporter
February 2, 2009

HE HAS written books on Satanism, claims to have invented medical equipment that was "produced later under somebody else's name" and says he feels safer living among kangaroos, but now a country doctor has found himself in hot water over a series of bizarre videos posted on the internet.

Sean Tari, 40, a general practitioner in Dubbo, posted three videos on YouTube last month, showing himself posing as a female prostitute, ordering pizzas without bases and asking a medical centre receptionist for a rectal examination with a Chinese doctor because "they have smaller fingers".

Dr Tari, who practises at the Western Plains Medical Centre, removed the videos, listed under the pseudonym Funnisean, after he was contacted by detectives, but the behaviour has angered a local MP, Dawn Fardell, who says business operators should not have to put up with "this nonsense".
"This man is 40, not 12, and he is counselling people who have their own problems. He's welcome here in Dubbo but he needs to get some help because as a leader in the community this is not acceptable behaviour," she said.

In the first video, Dr Tari is seen ringing a medical centre in Eastwood, telling the receptionist his mother had just died and he needed a rectal examination, but wanted to see a Chinese doctor because the last time he had a similar exam at the centre a Bangladeshi doctor "with big fingers" had caused him pain.

In another, he calls Domino's Pizza in Dubbo, and attempts to order a Hawaiian pizza without ham and pineapple and another without a base. After tying up the operator for several minutes, he asks for the order to be delivered to an address in Sydney.

In the third video, Dr Tari calls a Parramatta brothel, called Midnight Delight, and impersonates a woman "just off the boat". He tells the receptionist he is looking for work as a prostitute and asks about pay rates. He is offered an interview, then hangs up, exclaiming "yay, I am a prostitute".

Dr Tari has a website promoting his "anti-religious views" and his work as an author, which he says is an outlet for his "mental diarrhoea". He claims to have had 27 books published, including one called Satanica - Encyclopedia Of Satan. He said he was arrested in 1999 by the Iranian intelligence service and suffered 13 months of torture before escaping to Australia.

"I feel more safe among kangaroos," he says on his site.

Dr Tari says he invented an electronic scope with no tube and a gloved bag to prevent anthrax contamination but both were "produced later under somebody else's name".

When contacted by the Herald, he would not comment.

Police are yet to confirm if charges will be laid.