Page 936 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
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MRS CARNELL: No; I was at the meetings, at almost all of the meetings. I could not manage a couple of them. I noticed that you were not. This private sector foundation has been languishing and it does need a kick-start, Minister. I urge you to go down that track.
MR BERRY (4.03): I just cannot help but have a little one also on this subject. This is a feather in the cap of a Labor government. It is the only government that has had the courage to take on this issue. It was something that was first raised with the first Labor Government in 1989 and I expected that over time it would have germinated, as it has done. But that Labor Government was interrupted in terms of its pursuit. The Liberal led Alliance Government came into office and the great lead in the saddlebags as far as the Liberals were concerned, Mr Humphries, came onto the scene. No matter how much pressure could have been put on Mr Humphries, no decision was possible.
That conservative alliance fell apart and Labor came to office again. This issue was identified as the only way that the culture in health was going to be changed in any meaningful way for the future in the ACT, so it was embraced by the Labor Party. It was an election promise, as I recall, and it has been delivered. As much as it may gall you, it has been delivered. This germinated during the period of a Labor government in real terms and it has been delivered.
As far as the health foundation or whatever name it might assign itself is concerned, that is recognised as something that will deliver benefits to the health service, but the health service will not depend on a foundation. It will be a government owned health service which provides services to the people of the Australian Capital Territory. You have to let that sink in. It will be a health system which has as its main aim the development of quality health professionals who deliver services to the Territory. It will also have as an aim attracting people who have studied within the system to stay in the ACT in order that we can continue to attract more academically qualified professionals to the Territory.
One other very important issue that I think needs to be talked about is the type of service we now have as compared to other States, and as compared to what would be desirable in the future. This clinical school will be developed across the health system. It will not be confined to a single hospital; it will be developed right across the health system and will be involved at the community level. That is very important. It is important that we drag ourselves away from some of the old-fashioned institutions that had been developed in the past. At the same time we have to overcome some of the historic errors, such as having had to rely almost entirely for our medical professionals and specialists on the private sector. So there will be a move to salaried specialists within the system. By its very nature that will be required as chairs and senior lecturers of the various specialties and so on are appointed and as more salaried professionals begin to work within the hospital system. So in that respect there will be a swing to the public sector.
It seems to me that the Liberals, with their infatuation with all things private, might then be critical of the Government because there has been a swing to the public sector in terms of salaried health professionals, but we will be waiting here to justify the position as it develops and as a better health system develops for the people of the Territory.
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