Page 5278 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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hours of having seen this complex amendment. If Mr Berry were to complain, as he has, about the complexity of matters that he has sat down to deal with in the health services legislation - this and the other Bill - in the space of the last fortnight, how much more concerned should I be that he seeks to have a complex new stratum of medical or health service imposed on the hospital system at this late stage?
Mr Speaker, the Government is not opposed to the concept of a council; it is not opposed to the concept of improving the complaints mechanism within the hospital system. This week I met with the members of the organisation that conducted the survey last Saturday, and I received a copy of their results. I discussed with them the nature of those problems that were thrown up. A key part of their concern was the need for improved mechanisms for making complaints. It is clear to me that we do have to look very carefully at how those complaints mechanisms are established and maintained; but whether Mr Berry's concept is the best one or not, I do not know. I would be very happy to consider this amendment when we return to this place after the Christmas break; but I am not prepared to put it in the legislation, as it were, sight unseen, at this stage.
MR BERRY (9.21): That is a very disappointing response from the Minister. He made warm noises at the end of the discussion, but I am afraid we have heard so many warm noises from this Minister over a whole range of issues that they do not give me any confidence that there will be any real changes in this Government's approach to the delivery of quality services in the Territory.
It is a grave disappointment that this is not the one. It seems to me that, in terms of the delivery of hospital services, we are running out of the big ticket issues for the Government to agree to in the amendments proposed by the Australian Labor Party. But it is still worthwhile putting on the record our concern that the Government has not been able to deal with this matter. It says that it has not been able to do it within a time frame that the Minister described, as I recall, as around 24 hours. I am surprised that the Minister, with all of his resources, could not give a more positive response and a better evaluated response than the one that was given. It is all very well to say that he is interested in the provision of these sorts of complaints units; but it is not good enough to go no further than just a few warm noises which, really, in the light of his past actions in our public sector would convince nobody.
I think, Mr Speaker, that this is a very important opportunity; to use the Minister's words, it is a window of opportunity that is being passed up. This would have presented the opportunity for some kudos for the Government, particularly in the complaints area, because,
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