Pride in Queensland Hospitals Dinner

Director-General, Queensland Health, Mr Michael Walsh PSM; Chair of Chairs, Mr David Gow;  Hospital and Health Service Chairs.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Graeme and I warmly welcome you to Government House this evening.

It is quite a remarkable logistical feat to get so many of our State’s Health Service Chairs in the same place at the same time…!

This special dinner gives me the opportunity, as Governor, to express my heartfelt gratitude for the significant positive contributions you, your fellow Directors and Executive teams, and all of your dedicated staff are making to improve the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders.

While the regions and communities you serve may differ, the consistent and driving force behind your efforts is to provide quality healthcare that is responsive and appropriate to the specific needs of the people in your care.

Your roles require outstanding leadership, yet also extraordinary vision—to build partnerships, develop initiatives and foster the deep connections that make you and your teams such an integral part of your communities—valuable bonds that become even more critical in our smaller regional and remote locations.

In such a dynamic area as health, this undertaking is extremely complex and challenging, particularly when we never know what the world will come up with next!

I am extraordinarily proud of the way your teams work together to provide excellent health care each and every day. In fact, one of the nicest parts of my role is visiting hospitals and health staff across the State and congratulating them on what they do.

Thank you again for leading our State’s public healthcare services with such dedication and commitment, and for your part in driving ongoing education and research in your jurisdictions.

Graeme and I look forward to spending an enjoyable evening in your company.