Page 1039 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
It is undeniable that in that time frame the major growth in the ACT will be north of the lake, and of course I am referring to Gungahlin which, I believe, is inevitable as the population of the ACT continues to grow. We will have to move to the north and Gungahlin is the area that is currently planned to be developed. That is a northside development, a long way from Woden Valley Hospital.
It is also undeniable that the inner city area, the old north of Canberra, will undergo a considerable development as well. I believe that not only will we see an increasing aged population in that area but it is also inevitable that we will see an increasing density of accommodation. Therefore, I believe that if you look at a 10- to 20-year time frame, the north of the city is the area where we will have the major population growth.
It goes without saying that your health services should be placed near where all the people are, where the need is. I believe that Royal Canberra Hospital would have played a major part in meeting that need, as it has done to date and, quite clearly, as the community feels it should continue to do. What we have under Mr Humphries' proposal - although, interestingly enough, he denies it now - is the privatisation of the hospital system north of the lake. Northside residents are to be offered the options of a new 150-bed private hospital or Calvary Hospital.
There are two matters which I would like to comment on there: first of all, on the issue of a new private hospital, it is a fact that not everybody wants to use a private hospital. It is a government's responsibility to provide a public hospital service to the community which it purports to serve. You are denying the people that. You are saying, "Here is your private hospital, use that; get your private medical cover and use the private hospital".
Mr Duby: We are not saying that at all. There are 300 public beds at Calvary.
Mr Humphries: All public, every last one of them.
MS FOLLETT: Members constantly interject that if people do not want to use the private hospital they can use Calvary Hospital. But I have to point out that Calvary Hospital, for reasons of its own charter, does not provide a full range of medical and surgical services. The hospital authorities have made that statement themselves. I make no judgment on that; it is a fact. It is a fact that they do not provide services which are in quite common demand by members of our community.
A member: Those folk can go to Woden.
MS FOLLETT: Members opposite interject that those patients can go to Woden. In other words, people north of the lake
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .