Page 1782 - Week 06 - Thursday, 19 May 1994
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. The 1992-93 overrun was not well understood and could not be fully accounted for. Therefore, it was virtually impossible to identify the problems the 1993-94 Budget had to overcome.It is very difficult to bring down a budget if you do not know why you overran last time. That has to be one of the most damning indictments of this Government's performance in Health, or, for that matter, in Treasury. For the Minister to try to absolve his Government of blame now is pretty gutless.This Opposition will continue to focus closely on the Government's mismanagement of the Health Department because it is simply our duty to do so. We do not believe that Mr Connolly has the guts to make the changes. Face facts, Mr Connolly. The problems in our health system are a symptom of this Government's inability to cope with budgetary management or economic restructuring. They are not the fault of one Minister, although I doubt that that comment will make Mr Berry feel all that much better. The management of Health was not just Mr Berry's mission; it was that of the Government. Let me read to you from the ALP's platform on health, the same platform it took to the last election. It says:
Labor will continue to maintain, improve and provide resources to secure a high quality public hospital system in the ACT.
That was the manifesto. That was their challenge. They failed, and failed very miserably. For three years - three interminably long years - this Government has run Canberra's health system very much into the ground. I am sure that Mr Humphries will say more about that.
I want to run through some of the things that are in the Arthur Andersen report. On page 11 it found that ACT Health has a high cost system compared with national standards. On page 13 it says that the Commonwealth Grants Commission data shows that the ACT needs to address its expenditure overruns and health expenditure levels, given trends in Commonwealth funding. That is hardly new information, but this report suggests that the ACT is not capable of making funding cuts this year because their management is not up to it. On page 14 the report says that the ACT has the highest cost per patient in comparison with all States. On page 20 it says that the structure of ACT Health, with its inefficient division of responsibilities, inhibits good financial management. The list goes on. Every page has another damning bit.
Now, we have a new Minister, but has he the political will to embrace the kinds of reforms we need? Only time, and, unfortunately, I think, factional pressure, will tell. I believe that there are two major challenges facing Mr Connolly in his approach to the health portfolio. The first is easy. The second, admittedly, will take some courage and a lot of pragmatism - something I have seen from the Attorney-General. First, he will earn my respect and a lot more of my party's support on health issues if he realises that fudging the figures or trying to pull the wool over our eyes - as has happened in the past - will not work. The second challenge is to start making some real decisions, some hard decisions, to show the way ahead for his new Health Department and our public health system.
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