Page 4533 - Week 15 - Thursday, 22 November 1990
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are the real reasons for higher rates of private insurance. You cannot argue that people want to go into private hospitals on the basis that they privately insure. The fact of the matter is that they do not. No waiting lists for private hospitals; waiting lists for public hospitals. It is as clear as a bell.
There is no convincing evidence that, despite the huge amount of taxpayers' money which has been poured into the hospital redevelopment project, the quality of public hospital services will be maintained. Quality includes access, Minister. Quality includes access, Mr Jensen. Do not deny it, because if you do not have access you do not have a quality service. What is the good of a hospital system that you cannot get a bed in? That is what is happening with our system. The beds are being cut back slowly to make it an attractive market for a private entrepreneur. You cannot deny that, Minister, because nobody will cop it if you do. The Government intends that the percentage of public hospital beds available in the ACT will be less. That is what it has said. You have said that the percentage of public hospital beds available in the ACT will be less. That means that there will be less. That means that this Government, this Liberal, Residents Rally and other people Government, supports a massive swing to private hospital beds of up to 10 per cent. This means that there will be, as I said, less public hospital beds per 1,000 people in the ACT. That, in turn, means less access to public beds, which is a reduction in quality, which is quite contrary to what the Minister promised. He promised that there would be no reduction in the quality of service.
MR SPEAKER: Order! I do not believe it is appropriate for members of the Treasury to enter on the floor of the chamber in that manner. Please proceed, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: Thank you, Mr Speaker. They are dangerous people, these Treasury officials, and you must keep them out of here.
Mr Speaker, all of this reduction in access to public beds in the ACT is occurring at a time when there are already less beds per 1,000 people than in the rest of Australia. Those are the facts; you cannot deny them.
Mr Humphries: That is why we are increasing the number of beds.
MR BERRY: You cannot deny that. You are not increasing; you are reducing.
Mr Duby: We are increasing public beds.
MR BERRY: You are reducing.
Mr Duby: We are increasing public beds.
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