Page 3026 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 September 1994
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Mr Berry told the Canberra Times on 6 February that the health system was in tatters as a direct result of a deliberate decision by the government of the day, the Alliance Government, to wind back the number of public hospital beds and cause a swing of at least 10 per cent to the private sector. What has Mr Connolly done? Mr Berry said that this was an absolutely deliberate decision; that it was scandalous to wind back the number of public hospital beds; that it was absolutely dreadful. Mr Berry, that is exactly what Mr Connolly has done. He has shut down public hospital beds and has approved a 20 per cent increase - not 10 per cent, but 20 per cent - in private hospital beds. We support that. Mr Berry, though, said that this was scandalous and dreadful.
Mr De Domenico: But Mr Connolly and Mr Berry disagree on everything.
MRS CARNELL: That is right. On 13 March Mr Berry said that it was still difficult to get a bed in Canberra's hospitals. It is now three times more difficult under your Government, Mr Connolly. Mr Berry has left. He is obviously really interested! Mr Berry also said, "We have the longest waiting list since 1987". That was in 1991. We now have a waiting list that is the longest on record. In fact, it is double the national average. We have a public hospital system that is in severe crisis. I do not need to tell you that today it really is beyond help. It really is in crisis. Unless we do something quite fundamental, the situation can only get worse. Everybody who listened to Dr Peter Lucas, whom Mr Connolly criticised for coming forward and saying what he thought, and all the staff of A and E - - -
Mr Connolly: He said that he regrets having sent the letter - - -
MRS CARNELL: You attacked him. Those people would have done something years ago. In April 1991, Mr Berry said to the Canberra Times - wait for this - "How many reports do you need before the Government acts?". What a sensible thing for Mr Berry to say! The answer today is four, and the Government still has not acted. It is still talking about acting on reports; but it simply has not done it. In May that year, Mr Berry said, "A modern health system ought to be able to budget pretty accurately". That was Mr Berry saying that, the same Minister who overran by more than $20m in the last three Follett budgets. Also in May 1991 came this legendary utterance from the former Health Minister: "I am worried that they will cut services again to cover their blow-out". That is exactly what Mr Berry and Mr Connolly have been doing ever since. They have simply lost control of the health system.
I am sick of the hypocrisy that is evident from a government that has wrecked our health system. There is no question that several million dollars can be saved from the cost of health services while, at the same time, improving quality; but the Government is incapable of making these reforms, as the nurses say, as the doctors say and as everyone says. Since self-government there have been four detailed studies - actually more than that - conducted into our hospitals. They have identified the following indisputable factors: That the ACT has fewer public hospital beds per capita than any other State or Territory; that the cost of treating patients in our public hospital system is significantly higher than in any other State or Territory; and that the financial management of ACT Health is extremely poor. The response of the Follett Government has been less
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