Page 50 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 7 April 1992
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This Government has agreed in principle to the establishment of a clinical school - clearly a major initiative of the Labor Party and something that the then Liberal Minister sat on for ages because he was not capable of doing or game to do anything about it. We took the initiative and moved forward. The Government is awaiting the report of a negotiating team which has been asked to provide - - -
Mr Humphries: What have you done so far? You have done absolutely nothing. You have talked about it.
MR BERRY: Listen, listen, listen. The Government is awaiting the report of a negotiating team which has been asked to provide advice on costs, funding sources, the form of agreement with the University of Sydney, and the clinical school's relationships with key education and research institutions in the ACT - as I said, proper forward planning; something foreign to the Liberals. Negotiations with the University of Sydney will be finalised soon and a report to the Government is expected within a few weeks.
This Government, this Labor Government, is looking closely at the viability of establishing a cardio-thoracic unit in the ACT. We have given a commitment to the people of Canberra and our health professionals that we will consult with them on this.
Labor has continually stated that Acton Peninsula will remain publicly owned and be used for public purposes. This Government will locate public health facilities on the Acton site in accordance with previous commitments. Improvements are continually being made in other areas of health. The Woden Valley Hospital day centre for frail aged people has been relocated to a beautiful new site, much criticised by the Liberals, within the Tuggeranong Health Centre - - -
Mr Kaine: It takes the frail aged a whole day to get there.
MR BERRY: The Liberals could not even find it when they did get there. I remember that. You could not find it. You were going out there to criticise and you could not find it.
Mr Kaine: We found it.
MR BERRY: You could not even read the map. No wonder you could not be trusted to be in charge of the till. It has been moved into that health centre because it was - - -
Mrs Carnell: Empty.
MR BERRY: It was more appropriate. It would have been empty if we had left it to Gary Humphries. He did not want to open it. It was more appropriate to locate these services within a community environment. I do not think there is anybody who would disagree with that, not even the Liberals.
The Government will also establish an independent complaints unit which will look at resolving the cause of complaints and problems in Health - something else that the Liberals ran away from. Labor recognises the role of strong preventative health programs in ensuring better health for all. Risk management clinics are located in the City and Phillip health centres for people who have been assessed as having existing risk conditions for heart disease.
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