Page 4415 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 21 November 1990
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requirement, there is no need for each of those private hospital beds to be occupied and, as a result, there is every expectation that, with the achievement of those additional private hospital beds, if there is some shortfall in demand the beds will stay empty. That is the risk that anybody who establishes such things takes. Let us face it. It has been a feature of the public and private hospital systems in this town for some time. In the Calvary Hospital a number of beds and bed spaces have been completely empty for quite some time. Why should it be any different now?
Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, Mr Berry made a number of accusations, a number of assertions, which are totally untrue. Mr Berry is very fond of that in this area. No doubt Mr Berry is desperate to establish an atmosphere of crisis and decay which would somehow obliterate the memory of his own time as Minister for Health.
Let us look at the facts. Mr Berry says that the costs on the public hospital redevelopment program are blowing out by $1m a month. Garbage! Utter garbage! The hospital budget has not blown out by one single cent and it will not under this Government. It will not.
Mr Berry: It is $1m a month.
MR HUMPHRIES: That is garbage. Let us see Mr Berry prove it. Apparently, in an earlier statement he was relying on the fact that inflation has been taken into account to translate the $154m figure for the redevelopment last year to $166m this year. Apparently Mr Berry is claiming, "There is the increase - 12 months, $12m". That must be the figure he is referring to. What a dishonest trick. What a dishonest tactic on his part, pretending that inflation is a blow-out in the hospital budget. What a dishonest - - -
Mr Berry: On a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker: The Minister accused me of dishonesty. I think he ought to withdraw that.
MR HUMPHRIES: He is pretty dishonest, if you ask me.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Wood): Mr Humphries, would you - - -
MR HUMPHRIES: It is dishonest, would you not say, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker?
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is not acceptable, Mr Humphries.
MR HUMPHRIES: It is not acceptable. I withdraw the term "dishonest", and say that it is a pretty shonky use of figures to suggest - - -
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