Labor lied about Lady Cilento Hospital name change: Galaxy poll

The poll of 1000 people showed 51 per cent of Queenslanders believe the Queensland government lied about the level of community support to change the name of the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital at South Brisbane.

The Queensland government wants to change to name to the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Last week's Galaxy poll was taken after Nine used a Right to Information search to reveal that a small number of government IP addresses were used to make thousands of “yes” votes in a poll on whether or not to change the name of the children’s hospital.

The Galaxy poll showed 51 per cent of people in south-east Queensland polled believe the government lied, 14 per cent believe the government told the truth and 35 per cent of people polled could not decide.

It also showed 52 per cent of people preferred the hospital’s name remain as the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.

The poll shows 27 per cent of those polled would rename it the Queensland Children’s Hospital, while 13 per cent would rename the hospital, but keep the Lady Cilento in the title.

Brisbane’s new children’s hospital was named to honour Lady Phyllis Cilento in 2014 by Campbell Newman’s previous LNP government.

Lady Cilento was a pioneering women’s health advocate who worked at Brisbane’s Hospital for Sick Children from 1931 until 1938 before establishing her own practice where she worked until the 1980s.

Queensland’s Opposition leader Deb Frecklington said the Galaxy poll was a test of Labor’s credibility on the issue.

“This is the only scientifically conducted reliable poll on this issue to date and it proves Labor's claims about genuine consultation are all lies," Ms Frecklington said.

"This is the final nail in the coffin for Annastacia Palaszczuk's credibility. It is in Labor's DNA to lie and Queenslanders haven't been fooled by it,” she said.

Health Minister Steven Miles last week told reporters the government’s poll that supported the name change was only one of the reasons why the government decided to change the name of the hospital.

He said many doctors at the hospital supported changing the name and some said they had lost research grants because the Lady Cilento Children’s name implied it was a private hospital, not a state government hospital.

Ms Frecklington said the government’s survey was rigged to support the name change for political reasons.

"The Palaszczuk government's survey to justify the name change was clearly a rort, rigged and corrupted,” she said.

“You cannot believe a word this government says,” she said.

Ms Frecklington said Queenslanders want the hospital name change to stop.

"This arrogant Labor government must listen and stop the name change immediately,” she said.

"Health Minister Steven Miles should be packing his office tonight, he is unfit to be a Minister of the Crown.”

Mr Miles said 900 staff wanted the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital name to change.

“As I’ve always said, the decision to change the name of the hospital back to Queensland Children’s Hospital was made by cabinet based on a on a number of factors, including a petition with 900 signatures of hospital staff,” Mr Miles said.

Some observers have said Labor may be punishing the LNP for questioning its decision to have the late former treasurer, Terry Mackenroth, acknowledged at Suncorp Stadium.

Mr Mackenroth passed away in May 2018.