Tasmania’s health crisis

We’re beyond “wait and see”

Let’s be brutally honest: Tasmania’s health system isn’t just struggling; it’s in a full-blown crisis, and our state government appears completely out of its depth. You don’t need a fancy degree to see the cracks spider-webbing across our healthcare, threatening to shatter it entirely.

Our hospitals are overflowing, staff are burning out and leaving, and budgets are being held together with what looks suspiciously like duct tape and crossed fingers. The latest blow? Hobart Private, a private hospital that nonetheless props up our fragile public system, is teetering on the brink thanks to the financial woes of its operator, Healthscope.

And what’s the government’s response? Shrugs, silence, and hides behind their department mandarins.

Instead of a clear, actionable plan to ensure continuity of care, we’re fed a diet of “wait and see.” Instead of contingency measures to protect patients and the dedicated workers, we hear vague platitudes. The Rockliff government, it seems, is stepping aside, again, while the system crumbles around us.

This isn’t just a lack of foresight; it’s a profound lack of basic competence.

For years, the health portfolio has been treated like a game of hot potato. Ministers come and go, each leaving a slightly bigger mess than the last. Meanwhile, our nurses are exhausted, emergency departments are gridlocked, mental health services remain tragically underfunded, and waiting lists for essential procedures grow longer by the day.

And what’s the grand vision to pull us out of this tailspin?

• A hiring freeze (or at least, a significant struggle to recruit).
• A $5 million initiative to train pharmacists. A drop in the ocean when faced with systemic collapse.
• Oh, and a stadium. Yes, a stadium.

We’re not demanding miracles. We’re demanding leadership. We need someone to stop managing the ongoing crisis and start preventing the next one. But that would require long-term thinking, a strategic vision that seems entirely absent from this government’s playbook.

One example is around ADHD treatment. The report is sitting in the desk. The solution is there. The government’s reponse? Wait and see.

• Long Waitlists are Systemic:  ADHD waitlists in Tasmania have been “notoriously long,” with some families waiting years for an assessment. This isn’t unique to ADHD; long waiting lists are a general symptom of an overstretched system.
• Impact of Undiagnosed ADHD: This has a significant impact on children’s development, education, and family life. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial, and the inability to access these services quickly adds to the overall burden on individuals and the system.
• Government’s Response: The new clinic trial, part of a broader government election commitment, represents an effort to address a specific, highly visible problem. The Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma, has emphasised the importance of this service for Tasmanian families and the increased investment, $3 million over three years. This shows the government is aware of the size of the waitlist and has responded with a piecemeal solution. A band aid across a deep wound.

So no fix of the problem. Just acknowledgement that there is a problem.

If you ran a business like this, you’d be bankrupt. If you managed your household finances this way, you’d be evicted. But in government? You call a press conference, feign surprise, and hope no one notices the fundamental failures.

The truth is stark: Tasmania’s health system isn’t failing because it’s too hard to fix. It’s failing because the people in charge either don’t care enough, don’t know what to do, or a terrifying combination of both.

And if that doesn’t change, and soon, then we’re not just heading for a crisis. We are already deep within one. It’s time for action, not excuses.