Labor’s health spokesperson needs to rule out Labor closing down hospitals, as he has previously advocated for, rather than deliberately using fudged figures to distract from his party’s lack of health policy.

CLAIM: “Peter Gutwein when he was Treasurer diverted $1.6 billion from the health sector.”

FACT: This claim is false. The majority Liberal Government is investing $4 billion more into health than Labor and the Greens did in their last Budget – an increase of 70 per cent.

CLAIM: “The evidence is very clear that it doesn’t work – those surgery blitzes don’t work.”

FACT: This claim is false. Dr Seidel would be the only Tasmanian who doesn’t think $156.4 million will deliver more surgery and reduce waiting lists. This Government has consistently invested into elective surgery – with more than $100 million delivered since 2014, significantly reducing longest waiting times, which were as high as 10 years under Labor and the Greens.

Tasmanians have not forgotten Labor closed a hospital ward, sacked nearly 300 nurses and tore $500 million from the Health and Human Services budget.

Only a majority Gutwein Liberal Government has a clear plan to invest in Tasmania’s health system and secure our future.