LGH RALLY, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2007.

A perceived threat to the institution at the heart of our northern community—the Launceston General Hospital---must be fought with all our strength.

But we must first be sure exactly what the threat is.

Is it a lack of funding from the vast reserves of taxpayer’s money being held by the federal Government as an election approaches?

Is it a lack of funding distributed by a state government with the wrong regional priorities?

Is it a situation where there are just too many in our community in bad health?

Should our governments be doing more to keep people out of hospitals?

Perhaps some of those questions will be addressed by the expert speakers we are about to hear----professors, doctors, nurses and some who have been patients at the LGH.s

Whatever the answers these questions about the health of our community the must be addressed not only by governments and health bureaucrats, but also by all of us in the community.

It is a fact that health budgets increase every year.

I am told that if the present rate of increases continues, the Tasmanian health budget will comprise almost all of the state budget in about ten years.

While we fight for our Launceston General Hospital, we must all work much harder to stay out of hospital.