How the Oz would report George Christensen’s medical tourism if he were left-wing

We’re wondering how News Corp might have covered Queensland MP George Christensen’s trip to Malaysia for stomach surgery if it applied the same filter it normally does to any hint of hypocrisy on the part of a politician from the left. Christensen has every right to make whatever personal decisions about his health he believes are appropriate. But we suspect the coverage would have gone something like this …

Elitist MP spurns Aussie doctors

An anti-Muslim federal politician who earns nearly $200,000 a year has turned his back on Aussie medicos to have a key operation performed in a Muslim country — despite saying he backs local jobs.

 North Queensland LNP/One Nation MP George Christensen has often claimed to support Aussie jobs, campaigning against foreign workers and claiming “Australian jobs should be for Australian workers“.

But when time came to put his money where his mouth is and back our top-flight Aussie medical professionals, George preferred foreign workers.

Christensen has admitted he travelled to Kuala Lumpur in Muslim-dominated Malaysia for a “sleeve gastrectomy” to reduce his stomach size.

Christensen has repeatedly criticised Muslim and halal certification but says “it just happened that way” about his decision to be treated in Malaysia where 60% of the population are Muslim.

“I’m disgusted,” Townsville surgeon Jane Smith said. “We work hard here to look after the local community and our own MP won’t even have an operation done here. What sort of signal does that send? Aren’t Australians good enough for Mr Christensen?”

Most of us are happy and proud to back our great local Aussie doctors, nurses and other health professionals to provide fair dinkum quality care when we need it — health is one of the nation’s biggest employers and, judging by the fact that Aussies are some of the longest-lived people in the world, our health system is world class. But not for “Big George”, who appears to prefer his medical care to be “halal-certified”.