Minister Hazzard and his senior bureaucrats hosted a public forum to share information about a new hospital in Griffith on Monday. 

Minister Hazzard told the crowd he thought about 30,000 people were serviced by Griffith Base Hospital. Mr Hearn corrected him by quoting an MLHD strategic report saying the hospital caters to 59,000 people. 

“May I suggest that may be part of the problem, why we we are being so under serviced is that the politicians and the bureaucrats don’t know how many people are out here needing to be looked after,” Mr Hearn said

“That’s not fair, on the basis I did it off the top of my head [the 30,000 calculation]… so I think you’re being a little trite sir,” Minister Hazzard replied. 

Grant Hearn has written a reply:

Being called trite by NSW Health Minister Hazzard is not the worst thing I have been called, but it was a surprise.

If I am dull, boring or my question hackneyed, I am happy to live with that, rather than being labelled as woefully ignorant and grossly misinformed.

If my question of how many people are serviced by Griffith Base Hospital, is so hackneyed to cause a terse response by the Minister, surely one of the many bureaucrats and politicians at the meeting could have answered with a reasonably accurate answer rather than the Minister guessing 30 000 ( the figure according to MLHD is around 59 000).    

Flawed my personality  may be, but at least I did take the take time to inform myself as best as possible.

As for my question and approach being unfair. I think that is an adjective best suited to describe the actions and policies of those who have presided over the demise of our most valuable community asset.

Grant Hearn 

For the full video of the public meeting, and other issues covered at the MLHD public meeting, see The Area News facebook page.