Page 48 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 7 April 1992
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even dreamed about by the Liberals. In the case of health, these involve negotiated increases in salaries and wages and changes to the mix of public and private patients. Monthly financial reports enable the managers of cost centres, the corporate management, the board and its committees, and the Minister to receive regular financial information on actual expenditure and revenue against the budgeted projections - also something very new for health in the ACT and something that I suspect would embarrass the Liberals. Nevertheless, we will take credit for that because it is good news, and there is more to come.
Planning is under way to use accrual accounting whereby obligations are recognised in the financial accounts at the time the obligation is incurred, as compared with cash accounting where the financial obligation is recognised at the time the account is paid or the revenue received. I am sure you will find that very interesting. Under Labor, unprecedented progress has been made in the development and upgrading of the Territory's public health system. The most significant activity is the ambitious hospitals redevelopment project.
Mr Humphries: Yes, our idea.
MR BERRY: Mr Humphries interjects, "Our idea". Who announced it? The Labor Party in 1989. The project has established a principal hospital at Woden supported by a public hospital at Calvary. It will provide a modern, efficient, public hospital service to the ACT community and surrounding New South Wales region beyond the year 2000. Several major facilities have already been completed within the $171.2m program. All construction costs are as at June 1991.
Mr Kaine: All Liberal Party initiatives too.
MR BERRY: We will get to some of the ones that were not in a little while. First of all, the hospital redevelopment was commenced by the Labor Party. A maternity facility, built at a cost of $13.2m, is designed to cater for all levels of obstetrics services from antenatal to postnatal procedures and includes an intensive care nursery. It includes a birthing centre which represents a new concept in childbirth in the public health system in Canberra. Mr Humphries can take some of the credit for that because Mr Humphries was the Minister when the decision was taken to include the birthing centre. I was happy to open it the other day.
Mr Kaine: You did not invite him, as usual.
MR BERRY: You have to get used to being in opposition - and he is not the health spokesperson, anyway. The maternity facility - - -
Mr Humphries: You came when we were in government.
MR BERRY: You might be impatient with opposition, but you will get used to it after a while. I am sure that you are going to have plenty of time. The maternity facility is one of the most outstanding of its type in Australia and provides a major upgrade in maternity services for residents of the ACT and the surrounding region.
Mrs Carnell: That is not what the obstetricians say.
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