Page 2901 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991
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This Government is committed to achieving the Commonwealth's gazetted outcome and design standards over time, and we will certainly look carefully at the siting standards involved. That clearly had not been done by the former Minister, and I think the fact that it was not done is something of a disgrace. The wording of previous announcements made it clear that those requirements had not been properly examined.
The world has changed in terms of our understanding of older people's needs, and we will ensure that the best possible provision of services is made available, particularly for the frail aged. Again, the Opposition's paltry attempts to criticise the Government have been found to be groundless. I think that is clear. Further consideration will be given to the need for and siting of a replacement nursing home, and Acton will be considered in that context, as I have said.
The third point raised by the Opposition concerns making land available to the RSL for a retirement village. Contrary to the implications of the Opposition, the Government wishes to discuss appropriate sites with the RSL. We do not agree, however, that the proposed siting at Lake Ginninderra is appropriate. My colleague the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Wood, will address the Assembly in more detail a little later on.
Even the last point raised by the Opposition is wrong. Mr Humphries talked about the failure to establish a convalescent home as a matter of urgency. This goes along with the sham of some of the other accusations in this so-called matter of public importance. It is clear that Mr Humphries is grasping at straws. He will have to do a little more work if he is going to find anything wrong with the Government's plans in relation to the Acton Peninsula.
The Government is firmly committed to the establishment of a convalescent facility on the Acton Peninsula. There is no question about that, and the Opposition does itself no credit by making hollow accusations in respect of that matter. In fact, we have gone much further than the uninspired Alliance decision - and uninspired it was. It was a knee-jerk decision which did not take into account the health needs of the Australian Capital Territory.
We are going to make sure that the public hospital system is much better under Labor. We are not going to lose our focus and worry about the provision of private hospital beds, as Mr Humphries did - in fact, promising private hospital beds in an environment where there is no demand. I think that is evident. There is no doubt about that; there is no question about that. One only needs to think about the 95 licences which are unused to come to the conclusion that the demand is low.
Mr Humphries: So, that is why you are closing some private hospital beds, is it?
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