Page 5403 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 3 December 1991
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MR MOORE: He assures me that it is well managed and that may well be the case. If we feel that there is another area, whether this year or next year, where the budget is not being handled appropriately, then I would urge members of the Assembly to call for monthly reports so that we can see what is going on and so that we understand what is going on. It is not just an entitlement; it is an obligation on behalf of the people of the Territory.
When a health budget blows out, or any other budget blows out, the effect will be felt in the next budget. The people will be told, "Either we are going to cut a particular service or we are going to have to raise your rates or taxes in some way". So, it is entirely appropriate for this Assembly to request those figures.
I do not perceive it as an interference with management. The Assembly has not attempted to force a strategy on the Board of Health; we have simply asked for information at a very broad level. Granted, it is at a lower level or a narrower level, if you like, than has been the case with most departments, when we accept an annual report. But there is a good reason, a very good reason, why that would be in the case of health.
I can understand why it is that those voluntary members of the Board of Health feel jaded at what they may perceive as interference by the Assembly, but I would urge them to take this message: It is not interference; it is simply open government; it is simply about Assembly members knowing what is going on and, consequently, members of the public knowing and understanding what is going on.
I would expect that the board, when it presents its figures to the Minister, should they not be as positive a set of figures as we received last time, would present what they see as their strategy, because there is no way that that board, made up of very responsible people, is not going to have a strategy to look after any problems that appear to arise. That is the nature of the business. So, members of the board ought not take this as an affront, and I am sorry that they did. I have spoken to a number of members of that board and I understand how they are feeling. However, I think that they also ought to respect the fact that we have a responsibility as well, and that is a responsibility that I certainly will not move away from.
I will not be supporting the motion put by the Minister today. I believe that it is appropriate that the board continue to provide those figures, that it continue to keep the people of Canberra informed. Any other department in a similar financial position can also expect to be monitored. At the same time, I think it is important that we congratulate the Board of Health for their good work and that we encourage them to continue to do it in an open way, as they are doing in providing these figures not just to the Minister but to members of this Assembly.
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