NSW minister for beds has resigned over a scandal between the sheets

John Della Bosca has resigned as health minister and leader of the legislative council after it was revealed the 53 year old had a six-month affair with a 26-year-old-woman.
News Limited publications have had a field day with their kiss-and-tell revelations. Leading the pack has been Sydney's Daily Terrible (aka The Daily Telegraph).

The 26-year-old woman provided a statement to The Daily Telegraph claiming Mr Della Bosca:

* STOPPED a security guard from checking her identity, and did not get her to sign the visitor's register, when he took her into his parliament office where they had s*x;

* MISSED a morning flight to the NSW regional city of Armidale for a hospital opening and meetings with health officials and spent the afternoon with her;

* BRAGGED about his affair to an Upper House colleague, who offered to employ the woman, because he believed people thought he was a "square"; and

* TOLD the woman he had the backing of caucus to replace Mr Rees, whom she said Della Bosca labelled a "freckle-faced Latham".

The woman said last night that Mr Della Bosca had repeatedly told her he loved her.

"I don't know how he managed to do his job when he spent so much time with me," she said. "There were times when John would cancel work to see me."

Their relationship only ended last month - she said at her behest - after Mr Della Bosca did not follow through on what the woman claims were repeated promises to leave his wife, the federal MP Belinda Neal.

And to think that some people think he's premier material. They have to be joking.

NSW Minister for Health John Della Bosca just doesn't get it.

Della Bosca visited Lismore on Thursday and announced 11 new positions for the North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS). Yes, that's right, e-l-e-v-e-n, 11 positions. No, he hasn't been misreported.

What a hide the bloke has! He has more hide than Jessie the elephant.

Sorry, John, but northern NSW doesn't need any more sick attempts at comedy by persons supposedly responsible for at least maintaining if not improving public health services in that neck of the woods.

Only nine months ago, and under the stewardship of the NSW Ministry of Health, the NCAHS embarked on a program to slash 400 full time equivalent positions from the region's health services.

Ironically, NSW Health has just released a media statement titled Caring Together for Lismore Base Hospital to announce that recruitment is under way for the clinical support officers and pharmacists at Lismore Base Hospital.

And who is the Health Department's first lieutenant on the ground in northern NSW? It's none other than Chris Crawford (pictured below).


Crawford, NCAHS's CEO, has wielded a big stick as he has gone about the demolition job that's being done on local health services. Truly, listening to the bloke on local radio as he goes about attempting to defend the cuts to health services is enough to make you sick.

And where is the NSW Opposition? What does it have to say about what's going on in relation to this sorry saga involving north coast health services?

Sadly, the Opposition is AWOL - there's not a bleep on the radar to indicate that lot is in tune with public sentiment that's running red-hot on this important issue.

It's not as if the Opposition isn't at least faintly aware of the fiasco. One of its front benchers probably hears a bit about it over the breakfast table.

The shadow minister for climate change and environmental sustainability, Catherine Cusack (pictured below), is married to Crawford.

Perhaps Ms Cusack and the current shadow minister for health Jillian Skinner should swap jobs.