Page 3643 - Week 12 - Thursday, 13 October 1994
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Mrs Carnell wants fewer schools and, in keeping with what some of her colleagues said, we are going to have all schools - all primary schools, for example - with 437 students, because they cannot vary from a set number. They do not like large schools; they do not like small schools. The energy of our schools is going to be taken up totally with this harshness of survival. What they should be doing is focusing on the real issues of schools. That is the sort of thing I am about. I suggest that the Liberals ought to impose on Mrs Carnell a bit of real respect for our schooling process.
Public Hospitals - Bed Numbers
MR KAINE: I address a question to the Minister for Health. I warn him that I am going to talk about numbers. I know that he goes into a frenzy every time we talk about numbers; but I would like him to sit quietly, smile sweetly, and listen to the numbers, because I want him to answer a question about them. Minister, yesterday you tabled a document headed, "Bed numbers reconciliation", from the chief executive of ACT Health. On page 1 it states that there are 192 available public hospital beds at Calvary. That is just to refresh your memory. I draw your attention to page 26 of the Health Department's annual report for 1993-94 where, under the heading "Calvary Public Hospital (a) - Inpatient Activity Statistics", it says that the average number of available beds was 172. It says 172, not 192. Is it true, Minister, that you have included the 20 nursing home beds at Calvary Hospital in the overall total number to get to 192? If so, why are these 20 beds included, since they do not comply with the definition given by the department of an available public hospital bed, and, secondly, Calvary Hospital itself does not include them in its own count?
MR CONNOLLY: I always smile during Mr Kaine's questions because he asks reasonable questions rationally and tends to avoid the sort of sly innuendo that marks most of his colleagues. I will give him a very precise answer. I shall read verbatim from the advice that Mr Fraser gave me earlier this morning, anticipating that such a question would be asked. As I have said repeatedly, when I come into this place and I am asked these questions about numbers, I seek the advice of my officers and I pass it on to members. These allegations are of misleading and all the rest of it, and you are going to have to reconcile that. This advice says:
The 20 nursing home beds at Calvary have always been included in a count of the available bed numbers at that hospital. To delete them from the count would substantially reduce the Territory's funding from the Commonwealth under the Medicare Agreement. The reason they are reported separately in the Annual Report - - -
Mr Humphries: That is not true. It is simply not true.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Humphries can rant "That is not true" as much as he likes; but, as I said, I will read to you verbatim the advice that I have been given by Mr Fraser.
Mr De Domenico: Do you believe that advice?
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