05/05/2026
ASMOFQ condemns the behaviour of Townsville Hospital and Health Service Board Chair Tony Mooney towards Senior Medical Officers at a meeting he himself requested on 22 April 2026.
When a Senior Medical Officer asked Mr Mooney directly whether he had instructed the CEO to commission Hoffman Reed to conduct a culture review, he refused to answer and instead asked the doctor, “Are you deaf?”, before telling them to reflect on their own values. Dozens of SMOs walked out in protest.
This is not the conduct of a leader committed to cultural reform.
Senior Medical Officers at THHS raised legitimate concerns at that meeting, including elective surgery being prioritised over emergency cases, training and research being stripped from the strategic plan, and repeated culture reviews producing no meaningful change.
They deserved straight answers, not personal attacks. Workplace culture is set from the top. Mr Mooney cannot champion cultural improvement while modelling the very behaviour that undermines it.
ASMOFQ calls for HHS Board members to be held to the same standard of conduct expected of every other health employee, and for the issues now plainly visible at Townsville University Hospital to be urgently addressed.
Senior Medical Officers remain committed to their patients and will continue to robustly advocate for the high quality of care that their patients deserve.
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