Page 2794 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 1991
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change the attitudes of dog owners. We can put in place the legislation and the penalties; but, without educating the community to the need to take greater care of their animals, I do not think we make great progress at all.
Mr Collaery, we cannot replace those fowls for you; I am sorry about that. As a legal gentleman, you might know the avenues by which you can make claims on government or whomever.
Mr Kaine: You or the Chief Minister could make an ex gratia payment.
MR WOOD: If he gives me a letter in writing, I may consider that - not necessarily sympathetically. The legislation will be here soon and it will be generally approved, I am sure.
Private Hospital Beds
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Health. I refer the Minister to the report he tabled yesterday on the public hospitals feasibility study. Page 62 of that document is headed with the words:
There are significant financial advantages to the ACT budget of provision of private hospital beds at a ratio comparable with other States.
Does the Minister acknowledge, first of all, that the ratio in the ACT is well below that of other States? Does he accept the statement made in that report he tabled yesterday? What strategy is the Government pursuing to further the aim outlined in that statement?
MR BERRY: I thank Mr Humphries for the question because it is an issue which stands the Labor Party quite a distance from the Liberal members opposite. It is about an ideology, as Mr Humphries rightly said yesterday. The Labor Party - - -
Mr Humphries: Can you answer the question?
MR BERRY: I have to say, Mr Humphries, that when I answer the question I will answer it, as I have said before, the way I want to. It is about an ideology. We stand well apart from the conservatives on this score. We are strongly committed to an accessible and affordable public hospital system. I think we have some work to do in the public hospital system in the ACT to bring it to the standards that we want. In that ideological order of things, we are not prepared to squeeze the public hospital system and force people out of it into private hospital beds, because of the effects that that would have on the people that we represent.
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