Page 1017 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 1990
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expenditure which will be saved by the Government's announcement - that is, the Government's announcement over the position taken by the previous Government. The capital costs of the things that Mr Berry has mentioned are difficult to separate. Some of the recurrent costs are also difficult to estimate precisely at this stage because, as I have emphasised already very clearly, the Government will have to consult about the way in which those services are provided. I cannot say now, for example, that we will have a birthing centre of x number of rooms with x number of machines that go ping and x number of staff here or there without knowing what the community as a whole wants.
When I find out the answer to that question, then I can answer Mr Berry's question about the exact cost of each of those services. We have a range within which we are working. I am confident that that range is affordable; it is certainly affordable now that we have made the hard decisions about redevelopment generally.
MR BERRY: I ask a supplementary question. We know now that the Minister has not the information in relation to those features which are supposed to be built into the new and wonderful Liberal-Residents Rally hospitals restructuring program, and the $40m which is lost somewhere. If the Minister cannot provide details of capital and recurrent costs of these items, how can he claim that his redevelopment plan will provide a cheaper hospital system? How can he convince the people of Canberra if his costs are right off?
MR HUMPHRIES: Because, Mr Speaker, as I have clearly indicated to Mr Berry who, unfortunately, has not been able so far to understand what I have been saying, the parameters within which the Government is working are affordable. The capital costs of the things we have discussed are negligible and we believe the recurrent costs are well within ranges affordable by the Government, particularly given the fact that we have now made significant savings in the system. That is the essential fact about the matter - Mr Berry cannot escape it. Our proposals are based on the same costings - provided by the same people - that he worked on when he was Minister. If he does not think our plan will cost $154m as we have outlined, then he must, by the same token, say that the $210m he told the Assembly his plan would cost four months ago is also wrong.
Hospital Redevelopment
MRS NOLAN: My question is also to Mr Humphries and relates to health. Can the Minister indicate whether the Government's proposed redevelopment of the hospital system will involve a shift to the private hospital sector, to the detriment of the public hospital sector?
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