Page 4221 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 29 November 1994
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There was some questioning from members of the Opposition which was meant to bludgeon people into submission rather than get an answer. But overall, through the combined interests of all committee members in getting together a document which meant something to the bureaucrats, to the Executive and to the community as a whole, we have come up with something which is meaningful, which says a lot and which will improve the accountability of the political process.
At the same time - and Mrs Carnell would not like this - the committee points to some of the achievements of the Government. There is nothing wrong with that. There have been a lot of achievements. As Mrs Grassby said, Health has all but turned the corner.
Mr Humphries: She said that it was in the black.
MR BERRY: Mr Humphries, look at the list of achievements contained in this report; and this is not all of them. There are lots more. This shows to the community, and should show to you, Mr Humphries, and the Liberals, that our health system is something that we need to nurture and not criticise just for the sake of it.
Mr Humphries: Like you did in opposition, Wayne.
MR BERRY: Mr Humphries, all I have to say is this: When you compare what is going on now with what was going on in your day, things are much better under Labor. There is no question about that. That is a measure of the political process. Health, highlighted as it was in your day, for those very obvious reasons, has performed increasingly better and will perform increasingly better in the future. There is no question about that, because the process has been put in place to tidy up the rough edges that you did not know about. That was your problem.
We have ended up with a report which is a credit to all members of the committee - and I take a little of the credit myself. The staff working on it - Bill Symington and all those people from the secretariat - had a job to do because of the tight deadlines. Ms Szuty had a job to do as well - to crack the whip in the process, to ensure that it all happened. Overall, I am quite satisfied with the outcome. It sends some strong messages into the system. It recognises achievements, and so it should; there is nothing wrong with that. It lacks what Mrs Carnell wanted it to have, apparently; it did not have, as I said, those sneering remarks about the Government and the way that it provided services. Look at what she said in the newspaper - that it was a joke. It is contemptible to say what she said.
Mr Connolly: Mr Humphries seems to agree; Mr Kaine disagrees; Mr Stefaniak disagrees.
MR BERRY: I think we all disagree. She said that there were few, if any, worthwhile recommendations. Obviously, she had not read the report at that stage. She refused to read the commentary in the report. Mr Kaine and Mr Stefaniak did not dissent, because there was no purpose in dissent; the report says it all. When you see a statement like this - and it is a quote credited to Mrs Carnell - "I just think the whole thing is a whitewash; it is not even a good whitewash", that just shows how much contempt she has for this process.
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