Arabic version: رئيس الصحة في صن شاين كوست يخفف انتقاداته للميزانية
According to ABC News, Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service chief executive Dr Peter Gillies has softened criticism he made about Queensland’s 2026-27 state budget during a staff town hall earlier this month.
Dr Gillies had told staff the budget was “grim” and “demoralising”, saying the service would struggle to meet increasing demand despite a record health budget. He said there was no funding for growth and that the hospital would be unable to begin tertiary services, which would provide a high level of specialist care.
At budget estimates, Dr Gillies said the language had been “an unfortunate choice of words” and that he would rephrase it if given the opportunity. He said “disappointed but understanding” would better describe his response than “demoralising”. He also conceded the budget included growth funding of about 3.5 per cent a year, while he had told staff the service’s growth was forecast at 6 per cent annually.
Dr Gillies and Metro North Hospital and Health Service chief executive Nick Steele said draft service agreements received in March included more growth funding than the final versions issued after the budget. Queensland Health director-general Dr David Rosengren said the March document was a draft distributed before budget determinations and allocations.
Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the Sunshine Coast was facing a “very, very grim situation” and raised concerns about possible retaliation against Dr Gillies. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said there had been “no suggestion of any such thing”. A spokesperson for the minister said the budget included a record $35.5 billion investment in health services, including $2.1 billion for Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service operations.
