Page 219 - Week 01 - Thursday, 18 February 1993
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Mrs Carnell: Like getting rid of the Board of Health.
MR BERRY: I am glad that Mrs Carnell raised the Board of Health because she has never been able to get over being on that Board of Health and it would have been a good thing if she had stayed there. I have to say that we always get a fair bit of enthusiasm from Mrs Carnell on the issue of pharmacy because it is so dear to her heart. Obviously, as she spends a little bit of her time here and a lot of her time in the pharmacy, we can expect that she would, as she has said, know something about it, and I bow to her superior knowledge in relation to pharmacy. Running a government, of course, is not the same as running a suburban pharmacy. There are other issues which are important. Mrs Carnell seems to think - - -
Mr Lamont: They want health to run at a profit - to put up charges.
MR BERRY: Yes, that is right. We should sell the dope that we have in storage. Madam Speaker, the very serious collapse of the board was principally because of her own actions. She harassed the Board of Health and the health system, and the public health system in particular, day after day, bringing about a situation where the Board of Health could not practically continue. The chairman of the Board of Health - a notable person in this town, somebody who is well respected in this town - made it very clear that because of this harassment he had to give it away. There was no point in continuing. The deputy chair of the Board of Health similarly and regrettably resigned her position and one other important member of the board resigned as well. It was made clear to me that the process could not continue while they were subjected to that harassment.
Mrs Carnell thinks that this sort of legislation should take priority over legislation which controls the entire management of the public hospital system. She laughs about the Government's moves to repair the damage that she has done, and we have repaired it quickly. She raised this issue in the course of this debate; I therefore need to make those issues very clear. The priority for this Government has always been the public health system in the ACT. She can rush out there and attack it at any time she likes because she never has to deliver. All she has to do is create fear and concern, unnecessary fear and concern amongst the community, just to draw attention to herself.
Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Madam Speaker: Could we have a little bit of relevance to the Bills that we are discussing? I do not think any of these Bills say anything about the Board of Health.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you for your advice, Mr Kaine. Please proceed, Mr Berry.
Mr Kaine: Address yourself to the Bills.
MR BERRY: You should have rushed down here when you heard her on the subject earlier, Mr Kaine, and stopped her. You are the leader of the group. More discipline is required over there, I tell you.
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