Page 3061 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 10 September 1991
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I think Mr Moore will lose this debate, except for a few supporters. I am sorry to say that Labor had to make this decision, but it was a decision that was made on the basis of a reasonable costing and a review of what had been done by the Alliance Government. We have turned away from the private sector focused hospital system that was promised by the Alliance Government - a private sector focused hospital system that would extend waiting lists in our hospital system because of the reduced number of services that would be available to those people who could not afford expensive hospital insurance or could not afford to pay over the counter for private hospital services at the private hospital that was planned by the former Government to take over public services. We have turned our back on that position and we have decided to maintain our focus on the public hospital system.
It is not going to be easy. Nobody has ever said that the management of health was easy for any government, but it is particularly difficult for a government which has inherited the mess left to us by the Alliance. Mr Deputy Speaker, at the end of the day we have to have a hospital system which is accessible to all of the people of the ACT, which is affordable to all of the people of the ACT, which continues to provide, as well, those services which have been traditionally supplied to the people of the south-east region of New South Wales, and which guarantees a future for the delivery of quality public hospital services in the Territory.
If we adopt the plan which has been proposed by Mr Moore it will mean that there will be fewer hospital services. There is no question about that. If we had had our druthers, we would have continued in 1989 to develop the planned retention of Royal Canberra Hospital in its place on the Acton site. The actions of the Residents Rally members, No Self Government members and Liberal members of the Alliance Government stole our ability to do that. It was clearly their intention to prevent it. They worked, for their entire period of government, spending Territory money and committing Territory money willy-nilly, to ensure that that hospital could not be opened. Seven months from the end of the term, Labor came to office again. We responsibly reviewed what had been going on in the hospital system and, Mr Deputy Speaker, I submit that Labor's action in deciding on the hospital plan that it has decided upon has been responsible.
We will provide a quality hospital, as we promised in 1989, at the Woden Valley site. Labor's decision to support a principal hospital at the Woden Valley site will stand. The services will be expanded at the Calvary site; but we are advised, and I accept that advice, that there is no need for a new private hospital in the Territory. There is no demand for it. I think that justifies our position
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