Labor’s Health spokesperson Bastian Seidel has been caught red-handed in a deliberate act of deception.

Today, Dr Seidel and Ms White circulated a photo of a ward they claimed had been closed by the Government, in a deliberate attempt to deceive Tasmanians.

Journalist: "So is it your understanding that Ward 5A surgical specialities and orthopaedics at the Royal is currently closed? There are no patients in there?"

Bastian Seidel: "That's the locked ward"

In fact, the photos Mr Seidel produced were of the old 5A ward, with those 25 surgical beds, plus 15 additional surgical beds, moved to K-Block, where patients have new equipment and more care with extra doctors and nurses put on by this Government.

So to be clear, the ward has been upgraded and is very much open, not closed as Dr Seidel falsely claimed.

The old ward will be refurbished as part of the Stage 2 redevelopment of the Royal Hobart Hospital, which a majority Gutwein Liberal Government will deliver.

Overall we have opened 70 beds since K-block was commissioned, including additional surgical beds.

In Labor’s original election commitment (dated 9th April 2021), Dr Seidel failed to even mention Stage 2 of the redevelopment, and only snuck it up on their website in an embarrassment days later.

Labor’s attempted deception today is all the worse given that when in Government they actually did close entire wards, packed beds up in storage and sacked 287 nurses.

It also demonstrates their pattern of deception this campaign, where they are also making false claims about TasTAFE and Hydro.

Labor cannot manage the truth, let alone a Budget or the State.

It took a majority Liberal Government to increase the health budget by $4 billion, redevelop the RHH and employ 1,500 more health staff.

Only a re-elected majority Gutwein Liberal Government can deliver the certainty and stability Tasmanians need, and the choice is clear who Tasmanians need in the Premier’s chair on 1 May – Peter Gutwein and the Liberal team.