Page 2964 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990
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upgrade the quality of services available in our public hospital system.
The doublespeak of which Mr Berry speaks is his own doublespeak. That is his deception; that is the deception referred to in this motion. Mr Berry has also claimed shamelessly that the casualty section of the Woden Valley Hospital is to close - another shameless and unmitigated untruth. It is not the case that that casualty section is to close. It will remain open.
Mr Berry has claimed in the last few days - this has not been a thing of the past; it has been a very recent thing - that the Government's hospital budget has blown out by $40m. That is utter and complete garbage. The hospital budget will come in on target - not one penny over target; I repeat that. Mr Berry has claimed the Government has given up its commitment to a 24-hour mental health crisis service. It has not given up any such commitment. It will deliver such a crisis service.
Ms Follett: When?
MR HUMPHRIES: What is more, it will deliver it this year; before this year is completed. Before those opposite go off to their homes for their Christmas dinners, the ACT will have a 24-hour mental health crisis service. That is what I have said from the beginning; that is what I stand by now.
Mr Berry scurries back into the chamber to try to defend his claims; but he cannot, because the claims just are not true. This is the deception which this amendment refers to and the deception I urge this Assembly to reject in the most uncompromising terms by the passage of this amendment.
Mr Berry: You had to have some suicides in the ACT to prompt action from your Government; there had to be suicides.
Mr Jensen: That is disgraceful, Mr Berry.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Order, Mr Berry! Order, Mr Jensen!
Mr Berry: And you should hold your eyes down in shame, too, Mr Collaery.
Mr Collaery: Have you been out for an injection or something?
MR HUMPHRIES: Let us briefly come back to the question of school closures. We are accused of being the troglodytes that close schools. I want to quote from the Canberra Chronicle of 15 May.
Mr Connolly: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Mr Collaery again keeps making these comments about medication or injections. He interjected to Mr Berry, "You have been out for an injection". I would ask that that be withdrawn.
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