Jim Elder discusses his time as the Minister for Health. He outlines the challenges of the portfolio and states his belief that the government was not getting the credit it deserved for the changes they introduced.
Jim Elder discusses his promotion to the ministry after the 1992 election and his approach to the Business, Industry and Regional Development portfolio. He also discusses the Goss Government's approach to state development and the role of his Director General Ron Boyle.
Llew Edwards discusses the private staff he had during his time in politics. He notes the differences between his experiences and modern politics. He notes the importance of professional advice coming from the heads of departments. He describes the authority he had and the large budget he had to work with as Health Minister.
Llew Edwards discusses the main issues that he encountered during his time as Health Minister. He describes the situation in Queensland Health at the time when it was entirely funded by the state. He describes the standard of medicine practised as very high but the quality of facilities as extremely poor. He describes the policy commitment to rebuilding hospitals, and the large expenditure to achieve this.
Llew Edwards outlines his appointment as Minister for Health, the departmental structure and the input from the public service into the policy process. He notes that he inherited the senior public servants in Health and they remained in those positions for the entirety of his five year term.
Joan Sheldon relates her early experiences as a Member of Parliament and the lack of induction processes. She describes how she was immediately appointed to the shadow ministry. She recalls support she received from the medical fraternity and the lack of access to the public service.
