Page 3028 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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addresses a variety of community needs. Indeed, an example of that is that the Government will proceed with planning construction of nursing home beds on the Royal Canberra Hospital site. In addition, the Government plans to investigate the provision of convalescent and hospice facilities and a birthing centre.
Another major success for the Labor Government and the people of Canberra is the announcement of a Medicare hospital agreement which was struck between the Prime Minister and our Chief Minister. Under this agreement the ACT will receive almost $43m in 1989-90 to fund a range of incentives designed to further improve the efficiency of our public hospital system. This incentive money will enable the Territory to develop and expand innovative approaches to reduce the need for overnight admission to hospital or to allow early discharge by providing enhanced services in the fields of post-acute, palliative care and day surgery.
This agreement is further proof of the Labor Government's continuing commitment to the principles of Medicare. Specifically - and I should say in committing ourselves to Medicare I do not see the same sort of enthusiasm from the Liberal Party opposite - the agreement reinforces the right of public patients to free access to hospital services according to medical need.
I think what needs to be made clear at this point, Mr Speaker, is the lie in the words of Mr Humphries when he said that this Government threatened to sack the board. Mr Humphries knows that this Government never threatened to sack the board. The board's term expires on 31 December, and the Government, not the Opposition, had the responsibility to do something about it, and has done it.
The redevelopment and integration of the public hospital system is a massive task which will take a number of years to complete. Given the nature of the task, I have announced a board to manage the Woden Valley and Royal Canberra Hospitals. No sackings! It will continue the work of the existing interim board and will focus on the integration of public hospital services and the development of hospital based clinical training for health professionals and the management of hospitals.
Mr Humphries: What is left of them.
MR BERRY: We have managed to save some from the ravages that you intended to impose upon them by all of the attacks that you made in the media for your own cheap political gain, Mr Humphries.
The board's strength will be based on openness and consultation, and it will be in stark contrast to the process proposed by the Liberal coalition in which a straitjacket of legislation will undermine the independence of board members' representation of the community. The
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