Page 1847 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 June 2022

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I could not hear what anyone was saying because everyone was shouting. Ms Castley, please resume.

MS CASTLEY: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Canberrans voted for the Labor-Greens government. The Labor-Greens government promised nurse ratios, and the health minister promised that, by the end of June, Canberra would be fully compliant. What did the minister say today? I wrote it down: “We’ll be pretty close.” I am sorry, but that does not, as we have heard many times today, pass the pub test. “Pretty close” is not good enough. Canberrans deserve better. They deserve more.

My job here is to hold the government to account. That is why I stand by my “calls on”. Yes, (3)(a) of the minister’s amendment is excellent. I stand by the rest of mine because, as I say, Canberrans deserve better. They deserve to know what is going on. Our nurses and hospital staff are amazing. As everybody in this place continually says, they deserve to be taken care of. The Labor-Greens government have promised to do that, and my job, as a member of the opposition, is to hold the Labor-Greens government to account. In the minister’s own words, they will not be able to do that by the promised time, which is the end of June this year.

The key point is that the Labor-Greens government made a promise, and they are unable to fulfil that promise to our nurses and patients needing care in our Canberra hospitals. As I said I welcome (3)(a), but I stand by the rest of my “calls on”. I ask the ACT government to give us the full picture. I think I will leave it there. That is probably enough for today. We will not be supporting the amendment.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 14

Noes 6

Mr Barr

Mr Davis

Mr Cain

Ms Berry

Mr Gentleman

Ms Castley

Mr Braddock

Ms Orr

Mrs Kikkert

Ms Burch

Dr Paterson

Ms Lawder

Ms Cheyne

Mr Pettersson

Mr Milligan

Ms Clay

Mr Rattenbury

Mr Parton

Ms Davidson

Ms Stephen-Smith

Amendment agreed to.

Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.

Environment—wood heaters

MR DAVIS (Brindabella) (3.39): I move:

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