Page 178 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 23 February 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Kaine: And the fewer beds we have, the better it gets?
MR BERRY: There will be fewer beds to provide those services because it is more efficient now, Mr Kaine. You did not take that sort of interest in it. Mr Westende should get another book and take some more advice. I am happy to give him some advice on these matters to make sure that he is fully aware of the situation. Then he would not ask these silly questions put, through him, by Mrs Carnell.
MR WESTENDE: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Seeing that the Minister had some trouble answering the question, I might rephrase it. Does the Minister concede that, if more Canberrans had private health insurance like him, the pressure on our public hospitals would be lessened?
MR BERRY: The matter of my insurance or otherwise has nothing to do with Mr Westende. In relation to private insurance, most people I see who are privately insured have private insurance because they want the doctor of their choice. Continually, people are walking away from private insurance because it is not delivering the goods. If Mr Westende suggests that private insurance is going to be the answer to public hospitals throughout Australia, he is kidding himself. Whether you are privately insured or not, you can expect full access to a quality public hospital system here in the ACT. Whether you like it or not, this Government is committed to a quality public hospital system. We care about access and we will continue to support that public hospital system. Private health insurance, Mr Westende, has little to do with the pressure on public hospital systems.
Mr De Domenico: Are you privately insured? Yes or no?
MR BERRY: I think I have answered the question in relation to my private insurance. Mind your own business.
Gungahlin Town Centre
MR LAMONT: My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. Minister, noting that you recently released a quite successful discussion paper on the Gungahlin Town Centre, could you please inform the Assembly when the first shops will open for Gungahlin residents?
MR WOOD: Mr Lamont demonstrates the interest in the future of facilities in Gungahlin. One thing that was not made absolutely clear at the time, perhaps, is the timetable for the provision of those facilities. There is a shop being constructed, I think at Palmerston; but local residents are quite interested to know when the major town centre will commence. A one-off great shopping mall is not going to be developed; it will be staged. It will be done so that all the commercial and retail activities are viable from day one.
Mr Cornwell: And built by the private sector, Minister?
MR WOOD: With some public ownership involved, Mr Cornwell, as most Canberrans are delighted to hear, because there is great benefit in that. There is a discussion paper out now, as Mr Lamont indicated. That will be out until the end of March. We will then prepare the necessary draft variation.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .