Page 764 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 13 April 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Humphries: And from Labor in opposition.
MR BERRY: There are 300 places now. While Mr Humphries had it, nothing happened. What we were doing was improving it. You were doing nothing, as usual.
Mr Humphries: People were treated when I was the Minister.
MR BERRY: You were doing nothing, as usual. What did you do? What did you do, except leave a mess behind you for me to clear up? Most of it has been cleaned up. Financial management has improved within the health system. Mr Humphries did not know, or he claimed that he did not know, what was going on in ACT Health. I think the inquiry into health showed up other matters. There was a whole mishmash of misleading information that came out of Mr Humphries in those days, and, dare I say it, by Mr Kaine, an inquiry and so on and so forth. Mr Humphries left behind him a disgraceful mess. The ACT health system has improved out of sight. In fact, significant improvement in the state of ACT Health's financial systems has been acknowledged by the Auditor-General.
There has been the completion of the extensions to the Dickson Health Centre, extended hours at the Dickson Day Care Centre, extended day care hours at Burrangiri, the amalgamation of the home and community care funded program, introduction of the patient master index for community nursing and a child health occupational therapy service for children. Changes have been made to minimise the length of waiting times in the dental service, and so on. The list goes on. There have been massive improvements in the health system, all of which I have been proud to be associated with. I know that Mr Connolly too will be proud to be associated with those because the work goes on. I know that he shares the same commitment to a strong public hospital system. This list is so long, Madam Speaker, that it would soak up all of today's business. There have been many significant achievements throughout the system.
One other matter which I want to focus on is the approach that has been taken by this Government on tobacco consumption. I think we have stood out in Australia as the leaders in this regard. Nobody has had as much of a victory with the New South Wales Rugby League as we have. North Sydney took them on but were not able to get anti-smoking messages on their football paddock, but in the ACT we were able to. We were the first in New South Wales - I will not advertise the product; I think the Giltinan Shield is the proper name for it - to get anti-smoking messages on. I do not think that has been applauded by the Liberals. That was a major battle and an important one. We did not want permanent tobacco advertising in the ACT, and that is what the New South Wales Rugby League sponsors wanted.
As we promised the electorate, we moved to introduce our smoking in public places legislation. We introduced that and the Liberals and the Moore-Stevenson group fell all over the place. There was not a word from them in response to the election promise as we developed it, but when it came to the crunch they fell all over the place. It is off at a committee now. I expect that Mr Moore has been fairly seriously embarrassed by his performance on that score. I still feel the barbs because I think I succeeded in stinging him. He deserved to be stung. So did Mrs Carnell. Their behaviour was deplorable.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .