Page 4608 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 20 November 1991
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Opposition to use the media to expose issues in health. There is nothing wrong with that; that is what it is all about. But there comes a point in time when I think one ought to back off.
I have formed the view that gross interference in day-to-day management of the hospital system by this Assembly is most inappropriate. Notwithstanding that view, I sat here and considered Mr Moore's amendment. I suppose it is something that I earned myself. Having made some announcements about how well Health was doing on its budget, I suppose at that point I was really asking for members of this Assembly to require monthly reports. Having provided two monthly reports to the Estimates Committee, I think I probably locked the process in concrete. There does not seem to be any way of getting out of that now. But I have to say that I still have deep reservations about the effect that it will have on the management of our hospital and health systems in the ACT.
I think it is an inappropriate course in management terms. I think it reduces the flexibility of the board to be able to manage its budgets - the ups and downs that occur in budgets from time to time, the ups and downs which, of course, have seasonal effects. But one thing I am not prepared to do, Mr Speaker, is to be censured every time members of this Assembly are unable to get the figures, because that, in itself, is damaging to the health system. One cannot, from an executive position, perform as well when there is a constant tirade of censure motions because one will not provide figures such as this to this Assembly. I think that also would be unhelpful to the health and hospital system.
I know that board members are going to be unhappy about my agreement to this amendment, but they will be unhappy with the Assembly. I would like the Assembly members to consider their position as they approach this amendment. We will support it if it is put, however regrettable I think that is.
All of those things aside, Mr Speaker, I think there has been too much sensitivity about the way Ministers approach question time in this place. Question time is a political stage; it always has been. Questions without notice are political acts and they get political responses. Questions on notice, on the other hand, are much less a political act. Whilst they get responses, the responses are considered. There is some time to make sure that the research behind them provides information which is of help to the Opposition. Again, they have some political information in them as well. To say that there is something wrong with political information being put in responses to questions is not something new, and I do not think it is really bad.
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