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The intent of the brief, of course, was to accept the recommendation of Dr Lawrence’s and to close those beds. Let Ms Follett prove that she is sincere when she and her colleagues attack this process by getting that document and tabling it with her rejection of the brief on it. Obviously, she will not do that, Mr Speaker, and that is a measure of the hypocrisy evident in this debate. Mr Connolly said only a few days ago that nothing was cast in stone by us. A decision is made only when the Government announces it, Mr Connolly said. Well, a decision seems to have been made in these documents, Mr Connolly. It seems to have been made in this status. You did not tell people in the ACT about it. You did not want to tell people about it, did you? Where was the consultation with residents' representatives, staff and unions that Dr Lawrence said you should be doing? You forgot to do it, did you not?

Mr Connolly: There was a whole series of committees and discussion processes out at Jindalee.

MR HUMPHRIES: A whole series of committees? You told them you were going to close Lower Jindalee, did you? No, you did not - and that is exactly what you planned to do.

Mr Speaker, I think Ms Tucker raised the question of social justice. There is no social justice in maintaining a provision for services in the ACT which is not well designed to meet the needs of the people who reside in it. Everybody concedes that fact. Jindalee is not an optimal place for those people to be residing. There are better ways of providing those services, and we believe they can be provided very comfortably in the private sector. The point, of course, is that the Federal Government knows that as well, and the now Opposition, the then Government, knew it too; but they do not have the guts to admit to the people that they brought here today that they did believe that, and they do believe it even today.

MR MOORE (12.11): Mr Speaker, this debate has shown clearly that the Liberals are intending to do exactly what Labor were planning to do. It seems to me, Mr Speaker, that we on the crossbenches have to look carefully at a decision. We have to look beyond the posturing and the grandstanding and try to determine just what is in the best interests of the community as a whole. When we look at the best interests of the community as a whole we have to look at the best interests, first and foremost, of the elderly people who are in need in terms of nursing homes. We have to look at what is in the best interests of the community as a whole. In that concept we have to look particularly at the health budget and how far out of control the health budget has been over the last few years, and the response of the community at the last election to continually blowing the health budget. We also need to take into account, Mr Speaker, the concerns of staff who are involved in these sorts of decisions. To set it up and to try to pretend, Mr Speaker, that this is an ideological issue - - -

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. Mr Moore may have inadvertently misled the Assembly. I remind him that the health budget did not blow last year.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

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