Page 1639 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 30 April 1991
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Health Management
MS FOLLETT: My question again is to Mr Kaine, as Treasurer. Mr Kaine, Mr Enfield's recommendation in his report this month is that a chief finance officer be appointed for the Board of Health. That recommendation, of course, duplicates a Treasury recommendation made to you in December 1989, which apparently has not been acted upon. My question to you, Treasurer, is: Why did you sit on your hands and do nothing and just wait and watch while Mr Humphries did nothing about that important recommendation?
MR KAINE: Nice try, Rosemary; but I keep telling you that there is a responsible Minister. That recommendation - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, addressing members by Christian name is something we try to avoid.
MR KAINE: I withdraw the use of "Rosemary". If she does not like the name, I will withdraw it.
Mr Duby: Thanks, Trev.
MR KAINE: You are welcome. When Ms Follett is trying to attack the Government, she seems to completely set aside the concept of ministerial responsibility.
Ms Follett: You are the Treasurer. I have not set it aside; you have.
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, as I keep repeating, I do not run the health department; nor do I run the health department's budget. This Assembly appropriates money through both the Supply Act and the Appropriation Act. It appropriates that money to programs, and those programs are the responsibility of individual Ministers. So, when money is appropriated to the program that covers the administration of the health system, that money becomes the responsibility of the Minister.
When I commission a Treasury report to find out what the problem is and solutions are offered, I then pass the administration of that corrective activity over to the responsible Minister. I do not say to the Minister, "You go and fire this man and hire that one". That is not my job, neither as the Treasurer nor as the Chief Minister.
Mr Berry: It is hard to find somebody who is responsible. Mr Bissett has resigned; Mr Humphries does not know what happened; Mr Kaine does not know either.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Berry!
MR KAINE: You see, they do not like the answers, Mr Speaker. They like to fire off the shots, but they really do not want to hear the answers. The simple fact is, as I understand it, that there was a person appointed to be the financial director.
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