Page 242 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 1991
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adequate ambulance service in the ACT that Mr Berry refers to. Mr Berry at no time has called into question the professionalism or the dedication of ambulance officers, and he certainly would not do that.
It is a fact, of course, that, owing to Mr Humphries' ineptitude in relation to management matters and administration of the ambulance system, the ambulance officers and ambulance staff are under enormous stress, from having to work a far larger amount of overtime than they may perhaps wish to or than may be good for them. I believe that one of the biggest problems in the Ambulance Service is that those dedicated and professional people are being put under that stress. It is that fact, amongst many others, to which Mr Berry has rightly drawn the Government's attention, quite fruitlessly as usual.
I believe that the Government stands condemned by its own actions and words in relation to this matter. They have repeatedly made promises that this matter will be rectified, that additional staff will be provided, that reviews will be conducted, and so on. Yet still we see the promised level of ambulance service in the ACT not achieved - time after time, day after day, shift after shift, as Mr Berry has made quite clear. But the Government seems quite unable to take this in.
Mr Jensen further pointed out, in his mean-minded way, that he believes that Mr Berry has sought to make cheap political points on this matter. The provision of a vital community service to the ACT is not a matter for cheap political points. It is a matter on which Mr Berry has quite rightly drawn attention to the Government's total inadequacy. On the other hand, Mr Jensen thinks nothing of scoring cheap political points on a matter over which this Assembly has no control, namely, the Gulf war. His cheap political point scoring exercise on that subject really exceeded - - -
Mr Jensen: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker - relevance.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Yes, thank you, Mr Jensen. I am sure that was just a passing comment. Please proceed, Ms Follett.
MS FOLLETT: I think I have made my point, and anybody who wishes to read the Chief Minister's so-called media statement on the subject, which none of the media have commented upon, will see that my point is proved.
So Mr Jensen, as I say, seeks to shoot the messenger. He does not like to hear what Mr Berry has to say; so he seeks merely to denigrate Mr Berry and to misrepresent him in relation to his attitude to ambulance staff and ambulance officers. That is indeed a cheap political stunt and, if that is the best that Government members can do, then I do not believe that they have any hope whatsoever of managing an appropriate ambulance service for the ACT.
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