Page 1648 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 30 April 1991
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The report talked about the principle of living within budget being not well embedded at all levels in the hospitals and said that this needs every encouragement. Well, we know that since 1989 the hospital system has not been able to live within budget, as has been proved by recent events. What has the Minister done? He says that he has effected measures which might contain those break-outs, but that has not been represented in the results in hospital management.
Mr Duby: Rats!
MR BERRY: Could we have some order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Please proceed, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: The Treasury does not accept that functions undertaken by the Hospital Services Division could not be done more efficiently. Mr Duby laughs. But Mr Duby always laughs about serious matters. He does not care about the community of the ACT. He has turned his back on them repeatedly. All he is interested in is how he is doing. He is doing all right - better than he would ever have done.
The 6.3 per cent increase provided by Treasury for other operating costs was passed on to managers only as a 1.67 per cent increase. The Minister did not explain whether that would happen again. And so the story goes on, Mr Speaker.
On page 9 of the report, Mr Speaker, it talks about the current structure not working. Mr Humphries says that there were changes to the structure. They did not work either. What did the Minister do in follow-up measures? He obviously did nothing, because the hospital system is still in crisis. What did the Chief Minister do in relation to this report? He said that he did nothing. That is why we have difficulties in the hospital system. We have the Chief Minister and the Health Minister refusing to act on the issues which affect our hospitals. This is reflected in the failure of the hospital system to deliver adequate services to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.
We know that the hospital system does not deliver by the information we get from constituents who do not receive treatment as required. We know about the 1,500 people who are waiting to get into our hospitals. We would like more up-to-date information, but the Minister refuses to answer the questions which have been put to him in this respect. They are on notice; just read the notice paper.
Mr Duby: He answers them too well; that is the problem.
MR BERRY: Just read the notice paper. They have been there for months.
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