Page 2958 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990
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MR BERRY: I withdraw that which offends Mr Humphries, but I place on record that the people of Canberra feel misled by this Minister's actions.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you.
MR BERRY: And they have a right to do so, Mr Speaker, because of the facts that I have laid before the people of Canberra in relation to the attack on the public hospital system. The fact of the matter is that Mr Humphries says that at the end of 1991 he will close Royal Canberra Hospital and, as I have shown, there will be one-third fewer operating theatres available to deal with the ever increasing waiting lists for elective surgery in our public hospital system - ever increasing lists because of his actions.
Already a large ward at Royal Canberra has closed and is gathering dust, yet the Minister says no beds have been closed. Well, in the formal sense - - -
Mr Humphries: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR BERRY: He will get his chance.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Berry!
Mr Humphries: Mr Berry is clearly misrepresenting what I said. I said that no beds would be permanently closed.
MR SPEAKER: Do not debate the issue, please, Mr Humphries. You will have an opportunity at the end of the speech to claim to have been misrepresented. Please proceed, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: That is fine. It was very helpful for him to say that, Mr Speaker. The interjection was handy. I agree that he said that no beds would be permanently closed. Well, I know of a large number of beds at Royal Canberra Hospital, ward 6CD, that have been closed for six weeks. Now, how permanent is permanent? How permanent is it? They are gathering dust and people wait for surgery while this Minister closes down operating theatres to make sure that it is attractive for an entrepreneur to come into this Territory and open a major private hospital; otherwise nobody would be interested.
The Residents Rally are in bed with him; as far as the public of Canberra are concerned, they see that the Residents Rally is in bed with the Minister and that there is a double deal. Check the wording, first. That was very carefully chosen.
MR SPEAKER: I would ask you to withdraw that, Mr Berry, again.
MR BERRY: I said that the people of Canberra see that the Residents Rally is in bed with this Minister and that they are involved in a double deal.
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