Page 5006 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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The real issue tonight is about a budget which is destined to provide better hospital services in the ACT. Undoubtedly, it is going to be difficult for all of those people who have the responsibility of managing it. I have said before, and I say again, that it is important that this Assembly recognise that there are important management tasks that it should not interfere in.
I make it clear to Mr Humphries, regardless of his taunts, that I am mindful of the Assembly's motion. I have given an undertaking that when I receive the figures they will be provided, in accordance with the resolution, within the 48 hours so prescribed. These are the sorts of figures that have never been asked for in this Assembly before, and have never been supplied. In fact, for much of the period of the former Government there was no information.
My complaint is not about Mr Humphries' responses once he found out about the budget; it is about what he did not do in the time between when he was first made aware of financial difficulties in the hospital system and the time when the blow-out occurred. I think that was an indictment of his ability to manage the system. I think it was subsequently one of the factors which influenced the fall of the Government, one way or the other. As we were led up to that position, Mr Collaery was lamenting the days when he had said that he was gunna save the Royal Canberra Hospital and did not. I am reading from a questions brief which will be useful for members' information. It states:
If the Labor Government had "cancelled" the hospitals redevelopment project when we came to Government in June, the estimated cancellation penalties are (conservatively) in the order of $7.12m.
This figure excludes any allowance for "wind-up" costs (that is, mothballing and re-start costs), and "opportunity costs" which may have been claimed by the project managers, as these are virtually impossible to predict. So the figure may well have been higher.
That is just one of the issues that have never been considered while people seize upon an issue of history which I think will go down as part of the problems caused by the unholy Alliance which dealt a final blow to some parts of our hospital system. I urge members to support the proposed expenditure that is before the chamber.
MR JENSEN (12.27 am): Mr Deputy Speaker, in accordance with standing order 213, I request that the member table the document from which he just quoted.
Mr Berry: Sure. I agree with that.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Berry.
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