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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1871 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Mr Berry said:

Because you are the Minister for Health, Mrs Carnell -

Full stop. This Assembly decided to support Mr Berry on that view, on that test of what should be censurable and what should not be censurable in this place. But I will go on, Mr Speaker, and talk about things that Mr Berry actually did say, as shown in Hansard. On 24 November 1993, the very month that this deception began, Mr Berry said:

It is now becoming clearer to everybody that we are able to produce a picture that shows all aspects of performance within our hospital system.

He went on to say:

In contrast to what it was like when you had control of these matters -

meaning Mr Humphries -

as things occur you -

meaning the Assembly -

will be informed, and so will the community.

So, Mr Berry said categorically then that, as things occur, the Assembly is informed and so is the community. He said that there was a total picture of the performance in the hospital available right then. Those comments are in Hansard.

Contrast those two statements with what actually happened over the next 13 months, from November 1993 to December 1994. Day surgery was double-counted, Mr Speaker. A total of 3,749 operations appeared in Woden Valley Hospital statistics - published statistics, Mr Speaker - but these operations, we now find, never actually happened. They were phantom operations, Mr Speaker.

Mr Berry: Table the advice.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Berry says, "Table the advice". Yesterday in this house I did table the revised figures that were produced, quite definitely, by Woden Valley Hospital. This morning on radio, as those opposite have already pointed out, the chief executive of Woden Valley Hospital pointed out exactly what did happen over the last couple of weeks. Mr Berry put out a press release.

Mr Berry: Table the advice.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker - - -

MR SPEAKER: Continue, Mrs Carnell.

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