Page 528 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 May 1992
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Mr Kaine: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: The Minister is making a statement that is not a statement of fact. That is not what happened last week. What happened was that Mrs Carnell asked him whether he was aware of the fact that these people were employed there. He is now putting his own interpretation on this. He is misrepresenting it. I believe that sooner or later you have to lower the boom on him, Madam Speaker. You cannot permit this to go on.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Berry, when you make reference to Mrs Carnell's question, make sure that you are talking about Mrs Carnell's question. I think that then the matter will be settled.
MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell asked a question about whether 30 Vietnamese nurses had been employed and clearly implied that they had been or could have been employed instead of ACT graduate nurses. In my view - and I think any sensible person in the street would come to the same view - this smacks of a racist statement. This clearly demonstrates the Liberals' lack of conscience when it comes to making unfounded claims such as the ones that I pointed out to this place as I led up to this issue. The Liberals continually make unfounded statements and this is another one.
What you ought to do is check your facts before you go on with this flow of misinformation. It is the same old story over and over again - stir up a bit of mud and hope some sticks.
Mr Kaine: She asked you for some facts, but you will not answer the question.
MR BERRY: I will give you some facts now. This points out the level of racism that has emerged. Of course, the Government does not employ staff on the basis of their ethnic background - it never has - and neither would we ask a question along those lines. The nursing division at Woden Valley Hospital has never employed a group of 30 Vietnamese male nurses. If you had checked before you asked, you would have known it. This is more mud slinging.
Ms Follett: She has admitted that she made it up.
MR BERRY: Of course, it sounds as if they just made it up off the top of their heads. That is a dangerous thing to do. The minimum requirement for employment as a registered or enrolled nurse is, as Mrs Carnell knows, that they be registered or enrolled with the ACT Nurses Registration Board. That is the minimum requirement. Neither the ethnic background nor the gender of prospective employees is requested or taken into consideration when making appointments to the nursing division. There has been no cost to the ACT Government - - -
Mr De Domenico: What?
MR BERRY: There has been no cost to the ACT - - -
Mr De Domenico: In connection with what? If they do not exist, how could it cost you anything?
MR BERRY: It was raised by Mrs Carnell. As part of our international obligations, ACT Health hosted World Health Organisation fellowships for eight Vietnamese nurses in August 1991 and four Burmese nurses in May 1992. These were funded by the World Health Organisation. All of this seems to have turned into some sort of a racial crack, and I tell you what - it goes along with the misinformation that we hear from the Liberals all the time. I have just about had enough and I think the people of the ACT have just about had enough. Take it easy.
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