Page 413 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 May 1992
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of expenditure, that is expenditure on salaries due to salary increases, by the Alliance Government ought to be similarly excused? The sums of money overspent in the hospital system under us he attacked as a blow-out; the same ones occurring under his Government he says are excusable. There is absolutely no distinction between those two matters, except that he has dressed them up under business rules to say that they are in some way different.
Mr Berry: One was planned; one was out of control.
MR HUMPHRIES: One was not planned.
Mr Berry: You were out of control.
MR HUMPHRIES: You do not know what you are talking about, and you have proved it by what you have done already. I know that it is humiliating for the Minister to have this happen to him twice, and I know what must have happened to him when he was first back in government. He must have gone upstairs and said to his bureaucrats, "Look, I am in a real pickle here. I have been canning the Liberals on bed numbers; I have been canning the Liberals on hospital waiting lists; I have been canning them about the redevelopment and fast-tracking; I have been canning them about a fifth ambulance and all those sort of things. Now I am in government and I have to do something about all these problems. What am I going to do?". His bureaucrats must have rubbed their hands with some glee and said, "Well, Minister, we have lots of solutions; but, as far as you are concerned, what is the most important thing you want us to make sure does not happen again?". (Extension of time granted)
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Humphries, it is only fair to let you, and the rest of the members, know that I have just received from the Clerk a notice in writing that Mrs Carnell has withdrawn notice of motion No. 5, private members' business, standing in her name. You now have, in the few minutes that are available to you, carte blanche to attack those areas. Mind you, I will see that you take note of the relevancy rule.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed, I certainly shall. I have to say, Madam Speaker, that the sorry tale of the Government's handling of these matters can come out at last. Bed numbers was a major issue for this Government when it was in opposition. Mr Berry referred to it repeatedly, and I shall quote some of his statements. Of course, the Canberra Times, as we know, was always right on these matters.
Mr Lamont: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, I raise the matter of relevance to the comments made by the Minister on World Health Day. None of these matters was canvassed at that time.
MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, he did not talk about World Health Day; he talked about the performance of the ACT public hospital and health systems.
Mr Berry: Why did we say yes?
MR HUMPHRIES: Because you always do. Madam Speaker, we heard the Minister say on 16 October 1990:
The fact of the matter is that there will be fewer public beds available to the people of the ACT when this Government -
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