Page 1786 - Week 06 - Thursday, 19 May 1994
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The true position, Madam Speaker, is that we are spending $30m more than we should for the service that we are getting. In the Government's view, this community may well want to spend a bit more than the national average on health and get more services. What we are setting out to do in implementing this report and achieving changes in Health is not necessarily to slash or reduce expenditure for its own sake. We want to get more services; we want to get a more efficient health system in this Territory, and I am confident that we are on the right track to achieve that.
It would be very helpful for debates about Health to be proactive, looking forward for improvement, rather than this constant carping and criticism of the system, because it certainly can be debilitating to morale, although officers at the hospital perform an extraordinary job in difficult circumstances. As I pointed out the other day, that three-year accreditation of Woden Valley Hospital as a major hospital, achieved at a time when the hospital was by and large a construction site, is remarkable testimony to the dedication of those officers. We have some very dedicated health professionals, as, indeed, the Opposition concede. We have had lots of partisan debates about Woden Valley Hospital and we have seen some fairly silly statements reported about Woden Valley Hospital - Third World medicine and that type of thing.
Mr Cornwell: Closed cafeterias.
MR CONNOLLY: Full marks to Mr De Domenico for getting up here the other night in the adjournment debate. Mr Cornwell, watch that space.
Mr Cornwell: I am, and it is still empty.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr De Domenico stood up and said that he got excellent service at casualty the previous night. That was appreciated. At this first meeting today, when there were a large number of staff present, I said, "In fact, the Opposition are sometimes saying that you are doing a good job, so do not feel as though you are completely under siege". There is unanimous recognition in the community that we do provide a very high quality of service, but we must improve our financial performance. We must change that mind-set of ACT Health that goes back not a couple of years but a decade or more.
When you look at the extent to which this system has been poked and prodded and inquired into, at least once a year in the period of self-government, and well before that, it is clear that we have to have a time of consolidation, a time to stop inquiring and start doing. We went out - I would assume that the Liberals would think this was a sensible thing to do - and purchased some of the best advice available from the private sector. We have come into this chamber and made that advice public. We are not trying to hide anything. This is very much a warts and all report on the structure of health administration in this Territory. We have said that we are going to proceed down its path and we have demonstrated that we have put in place its first and key recommendation. We put it in place today. Mrs Carnell can have her dinner spoiled tonight, just as I spoiled her breakfast on Saturday, by watching the TV news and seeing this resource management committee having its first meeting.
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