Page 2583 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 15 November 1989
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Where is the money coming from? We have a government decision on this matter but, throughout the extremely lengthy and almost unending budget discussions, neither the Treasurer nor the Health Minister stated where the money is coming from. At the time of self-government, a range of financial issues was unresolved, and this was one of them.
The Chief Minister stated that there would be continual negotiation with the Commonwealth to ensure that the ACT would receive the $150m of an outstanding financial commitment. That was the amount then assessed as being required to upgrade the Royal Canberra Hospital. However, there have not been any negotiations for these funds so far. I understand that the Chief Minister and Treasurer was seeking to speak to the Prime Minister on this matter for the first time today.
Ms Follett: No, you are wrong. You do not understand.
MR KAINE: You told me, Chief Minister, last week that today was the day. Perhaps there are reasons why that meeting has not taken place.
Ms Follett: It was yesterday. That is why.
MR KAINE: We have not had a report on it, so presumably we are not getting the money.
Ms Follett: You never asked me a question on it.
MR KAINE: This is open government. If we do not ask a question, the Chief Minister does not tell us. We are only talking about $150m or a total of $395m, according to the letter she wrote! But it is only minor; she does not bother telling anybody about that!
Mr Speaker, we are already aware that the Commonwealth Government has not made provision for $150m in its 1989-90 budget. I know that the specific outlays for the ACT were decreased overall this year by some $325m - from a total of $950m to $625m. It would be interesting - and I keep repeating this - for the Assembly to know where that $150m is coming from, if it ever comes. If the Government cannot tell us where it is coming from, how can it take decisions to restructure the hospital and commit us to at least the $30m of expenditure the Minister admitted was required just for restructuring over the next five to seven years, when we are already in a deficit budget situation?
In these stringent economic times, when the Federal Labor Government is in its last term of office, it is hardly likely that Paul Keating will see fit to part with $150m just to bail out the Chief Minister. It is a sad indictment of this Government - and particularly of the Health Minister - that it is playing with our hospitals by making costly management decisions without any regard for the source or availability of the money that is needed to implement them. It is the measure of the calibre of this
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