Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (29 February) . . Page.. 483 ..

Ms Follett: "We will construct two new nursing homes".

MRS CARNELL: That policy was based upon us closing Jindalee Nursing Home, Mr Speaker. I have said often in this place that, yes, that was our initial position - we would close Jindalee Nursing Home, sell it for real estate, and build a new one. But, when we talked to the residents and when we talked to their carers, the view was that Jindalee Nursing Home was their home. They did not want us to close Jindalee in its current spot, they did not want us to sell the land, and they did not want us to build a new nursing home. So, rather than do that, we kept the current 84 beds at Upper Jindalee, exactly where they are. There was certainly no problem with levelling it, selling the land and building a new nursing home. That could have been done. However, after consulting with the residents, the people I would have thought those opposite would have cared about, it was determined that we would leave those 84 beds where they are, rather than have another 84 beds.

There was never any indication that Jindalee would stay where it was and that we would have another 84 beds, or 80 beds. In fact, we said quite categorically that that was not the case. The major reason that that is not the case, Mr Speaker, is that the Commonwealth Government sets the number of nursing home beds that this Territory can have. It sets it on the number of people over the age of 70 who exist in the ACT. At this stage our quota in Canberra is fully extended. You can have any number of new nursing homes, but they would not be subsidised by the Commonwealth.

MS FOLLETT: By way of a supplementary question, Mr Speaker, I would like Mrs Carnell to confirm two things: First of all, that she is not going to apologise to the Assembly for having misled them; secondly, that when she uses the word "we" - "We promised two new nursing homes ... One will open in Page later this year." - "we" actually means the Commonwealth and Mr Connolly. Mrs Carnell, by using the royal "we", in fact, is admitting that she had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am fascinated by this because those opposite refuse to admit that they had entered into an arrangement to close Lower Jindalee earlier. They said, "No, it was not us; we did not do it. No, no, no. We did not enter into any agreements to close Lower Jindalee. It was not us". Now they are saying, "Yes, it was us after all and we want credit".

Ms Follett: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question and my supplementary question were directed to the question of Page nursing home, which Mrs Carnell quite fraudulently is claiming as an achievement of her Government. Her entire answers to both the question and the supplementary question were unrelated to that central theme.

MR SPEAKER: I do not believe that there is any point of order. I will ask the Chief Minister to clarify what I understood - that the Jindalee equation was part of the question of Page and it involved beds. Am I correct in this?

Ms Follett: No; I will read the question again, if you like.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .