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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (17 April) . . Page.. 975 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

All of those points which have been raised in the context of the inquiry which I have requested are valid points in the context of a full, open and independent inquiry into what has been going on at that hospital. Mrs Carnell would not want an independent inquiry. She would rather have a situation where her administrative inquiry defends her reputation; the doctors would rather have an inquiry which defends their reputation; and so on. This motion is about somebody who is outside the establishment inquiring into the system, and that is the important part. So far as the people of the ACT are concerned, they want this matter out in the open. They do not want a behind closed doors, professional inquiry into the issue. There is a need to convince the community that something is being done and that there are outcomes from an inquiry which results in changes to the hospital system to the point where the people can have confidence.

There are questions about the management of our public facilities. There are questions about access to our public hospitals by public patients. How is it that doctors can do a little foreigner, moonlighting in the hospital system, instead of looking after patients? There are questions about accountability of our public assets. In recent weeks, there have been concerns raised about the treatment of dogs at Woden Valley Hospital.

Mr Humphries: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I am a little disturbed by the comment just made by Mr Berry about "a little foreigner". Let me say that I recall a ruling by your predecessor, Ms McRae, about reference to Vietnamese nurses being out of order. I am not sure what Mr Berry was getting at. But I would ask you to ask Mr Berry to withdraw any reference to people of foreign birth being somehow less entitled to services in our hospital than people who are born in Australia.

MR BERRY: It is obvious that you have never worked in a real job, Mr Humphries.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, were you referring to people of foreign birth?

MR BERRY: No; of course I was not. "A little foreigner", for those people who have never had a real job, means that you are doing an extra job for your own benefit.

MR SPEAKER: I see. It was moonlighting.

MR BERRY: For those people who have never worked in a real job, today you have been educated.

Mr Hird: Mate, I knew what you meant.

MR BERRY: Harold knows what I am talking about.

MR SPEAKER: Order! I will accept that as a clarification.

MR BERRY: The only bloke that has had his hands dirty is Harold Hird.

MR SPEAKER: I will accept that as a clarification; thank you.

MR BERRY: For the Minister responsible for culture to leap up and take that point of order gives you a bit of an idea how much he keeps his finger on the pulse.

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