Page 3668 - Week 12 - Thursday, 13 October 1994
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I invite you to come to the Estimates Committee and explore some of these points. Did I mislead in what I said in this house about intentions to open those 24 beds and progress towards opening them? The answer is clearly not. I said that it was our intention to open them. On the first occasion on which I was asked about progress, I reported progress. My state of knowledge is that what I said in the house yesterday about that progress remains factually accurate. I will have Mrs Carnell's allegations checked. I will report back to the Assembly when they have been checked. As that information will probably be forthcoming before the next period of sittings, I will report to members out of session. You just do not have a censure motion here, members.
MR HUMPHRIES (4.18): Madam Speaker, why is this issue important enough for the Opposition to feel that it should bring forward a censure motion against the Minister for Health? The answer is that we are obviously aware that the ACT's health system is facing extreme pressure and has had a great many problems, almost since the beginning of self-government, if not before. In those circumstances there is no doubt that an extraordinary degree of scrutiny has been given to the health system, which certainly has not been enjoyed or experienced by, say, the sports administration, the Cultural Council or any other part of the ACT's administration.
Health has deserved that attention because health has been an area of major problem. There has been debate in this place about the value of beds, whether they are an effective tool for providing treatment in our hospital system or not. Then the point is made that we do not treat beds; we treat people. That is a reasonable point, as far as it goes. However, it is important to note that, without beds, certain treatment simply cannot be provided. It is also true - and I do not think even the Minister would deny this - that, over the last few months or years, on a number of occasions the lack of available beds has prejudiced the quality of care available in our hospital system. There is no doubt about that, from the many reports that we have had that people, particularly on elective surgery waiting lists but not exclusively, have experienced some compromise to the quality of their care because of their inability to obtain a bed in our public hospital system.
That is why it is extremely important that we pursue the question of how many beds are in the system and, at the same time, uphold the parliamentary concept that Ministers should provide to the parliament of the Territory, or wherever it may be, information which is accurate, to the best of their ability, at all times, and information which is accurate, to the best of their judgment, in terms of what is supplied to them. I will go on to say in a moment that I do not believe that it is sufficient to say, "I received the information; I supplied it to the house; and that is the end of the story". There is, of course, a process of filtering, which any Minister of moderate intelligence would have to apply, as to whether the information makes sense, particularly in light of what others might say on the floor of the Assembly.
Madam Speaker, the crux of this matter is that Mr Connolly indicated that he expected there to be another 24 beds on stream in our public hospital system by 1 July of this year. That was his promise. "Promise" is not putting it too highly. He was answering a question from Mrs Carnell on 16 June, and he made great moment of what was going to happen. He had made a firm promise to open the 56 beds at Woden Valley Hospital which were closed by the former Minister, Mr Berry, before Christmas. Mr Connolly said:
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