Page 2708 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 1994
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PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - STANDING COMMITTEE
Report on Review of Auditor-General's Report No. 5 of 1993 - Government Response
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General and Minister for Health) (3.09): Madam Speaker, for the information of members, I present the Government's response to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts report No. 8 of 1994 on the review of the Auditor-General's report No. 5 of 1993 in relation to visiting medical officers. I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
In August 1993 the Auditor-General presented to the Legislative Assembly report No. 5 on visiting medical officers. The report addressed the management and control of payments to visiting medical officers in the ACT public hospital system, and examined the terms and conditions under which the payments are made. The Department of Health, together with Calvary Public Hospital, prepared a response to the Auditor-General's report for the Public Accounts Committee, and that was considered by the committee at a public hearing in November of last year. Following consideration of the report, the committee's report on the review of the Auditor-General's report was tabled on 21 April. It provided a comprehensive coverage of the issues raised and made seven recommendations.
The Department of Health and Calvary Public Hospital have noted the recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee, and have implemented the recommendations or are currently taking action to implement them. The recommendations support the requirement that claims and attendances made by visiting medical officers and rostering arrangements at both hospitals be verified. The committee's recommendation concerning the prevention of potential fraud has been acted upon by the Government with an amendment to the Health Act which passed this place with the support of both sides. The Government has also taken the opportunity in its response to the report to provide clarification of information contained in the report concerning calculation of VMO rates of pay.
Paragraph 4.14 of the committee's report refers to paragraph 4.17 of the Auditor-General's report, where it is stated, in relation to sessional rates of pay for VMOs:
The current rates represent an increase of about 35 per cent over the rates agreed in 1987. Since 1987 the CPI has increased by approximately 36 per cent and average wages and salaries by 31 per cent.
It should be noted that, in April 1994, the Department of Health provided to the arbitrator for the case regarding the new VMO contracts written evidence of a recalculation of information contained in that paragraph. The department found that when it calculated increases to sessional rates of pay for VMOs, using the rates for sessional VMOs at the senior specialist level, the increase in VMO rates of pay was, in fact, 40 per cent to
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