Page 4215 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 23 October 1991
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The action of the Minister is a disgrace. His letter to me is a disgrace. The press release from the Minister's department is again a disgrace. The affair is nothing short of a cover-up, and I call on the Minister to give a full and frank explanation of why he did not want the truth to come out. Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to table certain papers.
Leave granted.
MR HUMPHRIES: I table the following papers:
Document headed "Investigation ACT Ambulance Service complaint by Mr Peter Harris" and dated 19 July 1991;
Minute from Mr Peter Macdonald to Mr Len Withers, dated 23 July 1991;
Letter from the Minister, Mr Berry, to me, dated 30 August 1991;
Letter from Mr Len Withers to Mr Peter Harris, dated 29 July 1991; and
Media release issued by the Board of Health on 31 July 1991.
Mr Berry: What about the letter from Peter Macdonald to Mr Withers dated 23 July ? Are you going to table that one too?
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, that is one of the ones I have just tabled.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport): I seek leave to make a short statement.
Leave granted.
MR BERRY: Mr Deputy Speaker, Mr Humphries talks of a cover-up and he talks about the absence of proof - all very emotive terms which set out to attract attention to an issue which is now dead. The inquiry that was conducted into this matter was properly conducted by ambulance management and others in the health system. That inquiry discovered that there was a discrepancy between the allegations of Mr Harris and the response by the ambulance officer concerned. Mr Humphries has selectively taken from correspondence quotes which do not reflect all of the investigations and matters which have been looked at in respect of this incident.
Mr Humphries failed to quote the following from a letter from Mr Peter Macdonald of 23 July 1991:
... the procedure in the ACT at present is flawed due to the following:
. there is no formal record of calls received or the information passed in those calls;
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