[Greens-Media] New hospital scandal * PPP companies major donors to Labor and Liberals

[Lee Rhiannon]

Media Release 
19 February 2007

New hospital scandal * PPP companies major donors to Labor and
Liberals

Greens MP and health spokesperson Lee Rhiannon today revealed that the
companies involved in the public private partnership hospitals at Orange
and Bathurst are major donors to the Labor and Liberal parties. 

*Health care in Orange and Bathurst is struggling because of the
involvement of private companies that have donated millions of dollars
to the Labor and Liberal parties,* Ms Rhiannon said. 

*Since 2000 Babcock and Brown, which heads the new Orange hospital
consortium has donated $310,000 to NSW Labor and $11,500 to the federal
division of Labor. The Liberals have received $108,500.
 
*Hansen Yuncken, responsible for construction for the Orange
hospital, also donated $6,600 to NSW Labor in 2003/04.
 
*Information from the NSW Election Funding Authority also reveals
that Babcock and Brown representatives attended seven fundraising
dinners with ALP Ministers in the lead up to the 2003 election. 

*John Holland, under the Leighton Holdings banner, ran the Bathurst
Base hospital redevelopment that is currently a major scandal. 

*Leightons Holdings and John Holland are massive donors.  Since 1999
they have donated over $700,950 to Labor, $691,267 to the Liberal Party
and $70,233 to the Nationals.

*Mr O*Farrell needs to remember that the Liberals are also part of
this scandal as his party has taken donations from businesses involved
in this hospital PPP scandal,* Ms Rhiannon said.

Greens Orange councillor Jeremy Buckingham said *The NSW government
must work with health professionals in Orange and Bathurst to ensure top
quality health care is available for locals. 

*That can only be achieved when the government cancels the public
private partnerships contracts for hospitals at Orange and Bathurst. If
the Premier does not take this action he is condemning public hospital
patients in the Orange-Bathurst region to a second rate system,* Mr
Buckingham said.

For more information: Lee Rhiannon - 0427 861 568, Jeremy Buckingham -
0439 460 691