Page 738 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 March 1991

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amendment, which indicates something of the hypocrisy of those opposite in this regard. I think it summarises those matters quite well. I would indicate, for those of you who now have copies of that paper, that I will delete paragraph (8). If I need to, I will seek leave, but I have not formally moved this yet. I will remove paragraph (8) of my circulated amendment. In paragraph (10), I will take out the words "and education" in the second line. In the first paragraph, I will remove the words "and the closure of schools". I now formally move:

That all words after "That" be omitted and the following substituted: "this Assembly censures the Labor Opposition for its gross hypocrisy over the management of the health budget, noting that:

(1) The former failed Labor Government faced a budget deficit of some $2.5m in the first quarter of the 1989-90 financial year and a projected overrun of some $10m for the full year;

(2) The former failed Chief Minister denied there was a crisis in the hospitals budget and said such suggestions were 'humbug';

(3) The former failed Health Minister responded to the budget difficulties by saying that the interim hospital board of directors' 'days were numbered';

(4) The former failed Health Minister responded to his budget problems by saying '... it is a matter of just having a tidy process to fix it all up';

(5) The former failed Health Minister blamed the Opposition, the 'doctors union' and the interim hospitals board of directors for the difficulties he faced in the health portfolio;

(6) The former failed Labor Government responded to its budget difficulties by attempting to abolish the then interim hospitals board of directors which had recommended urgent savings measures to the former Health Minister;

(7) The former failed Labor Government misled the Assembly over the monitoring of the health budget;

(8) The former failed Labor Government was totally unable to implement most savings measures announced in the first Territory budget; and

(9) The former failed Labor Government presided over greater industrial unrest in the health portfolio than has occurred under the Alliance Government.".


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