Page 1627 - Week 06 - Thursday, 3 May 1990
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interest and which was a Rally election commitment. As well, the Residents Rally policy on this issue said very clearly that a Rally administration would preserve the Royal Canberra Hospital site. But, of course, this is not a Residents Rally administration. However, we have secured the implementation of the second limb of our policy, which was the recognition that the Acton Peninsula was a site for nursing and convalescent care and a site that must be preserved not only for the ACT community but also for the nation.
Time will tell. The community's acceptance of this very difficult and unpleasant decision will be seen in history as a courageous stand. We all remember that Winston Churchill was thrown out of office in 1945 and his courageous stand went unrecognised. One hopes that the ACT community will be mature enough to realise that decisions have been taken in the best interests of the people. Mr Berry and other Opposition spokespersons may laugh at the task of making difficult decisions. Well, one day, in the far distant future, several elections away, some of them may get a hand in government. We know that Mr Berry could not take the hard decisions, and the record shows that. He is an equivocator. We did not equivocate; we were keen to take on that issue.
The corporatisation of hospital services is not equivalent to privatisation. The Trades and Labour Council has been invited to participate in that matter. It is no different from proposals, for example, to run the Commonwealth Government Aircraft Factories, Qantas, and so on. There is no ideological bent about that; it is to deliver better services in a cooperative style with all elements affected - users, workers and government.
Mr Speaker, I commend the proposals put forward by my colleague Mr Humphries. These were difficult decisions. We trust that this Opposition will accept the finality of the decision and will move to support the provision of better hospital care in the ACT.
Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.
PRIVILEGE
Reference to Standing Committee on Administration and Procedures
MR JENSEN (4.07): Mr Speaker, in accordance with your ruling before, I move:
That the matter of the possible unauthorised disclosure of the private deliberations of the Standing Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment be referred to the Administration and Procedures Committee as a matter relating to the privilege of the Assembly.
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