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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2344 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

I am sure that Mrs Carnell can remember the time when she was on the predecessor of this board. She knows that there was a huge amount of work like that in front of her. There is the preparation for decision-making by the board; but there is also the answering of questions and issues raised by the board itself. I think that a financial impact statement would be appropriate.

In the explanatory memorandum, I am informed that the "administrative costs of creating the Service will be absorbed within existing budget allocations". Let us say that it will cost in the order of $100,000 a year in people's time to effectively support the board. I think that would be a fairly conservative estimate. It is going to be absorbed within the existing budget allocation. You may well argue - I do not know, but I will be listening to your response - that there will be an increase in efficiency because of the use of that time and because of the demands made by the board.

Mr Berry: For every $3,300, one patient.

MR MOORE: But let us not forget that $100,000 for hospital costs equates to about two people at the ASO 6 level. Mr Berry interjects that the average cost per patient is - - -

Mr Berry: About $3,300.

MR MOORE: If you put it in those terms and work that out, $100,000 would pay for another 30 or so patients. That is something that we would be most concerned about.

The next question I asked was about an extra layer of management, because it seemed to me that it must provide another layer of management. The response that came back was very interesting. It said:

The Board does not create an extra layer of management but rather oversees the management of the Health and Community Care Service.

I must say, Madam Deputy Speaker, that I cannot read that in any other way than as bureaucratic doublespeak. On the one hand, they are saying that it does not create another layer of management, but then they explain that really it does. However, the response then talks about lines of reporting, in order to explain that. It says:

Lines of reporting are not from the Board through the Chief Executive of the Department, but rather from the Board to the Minister.

Then I wonder, "If that is how the reporting goes, what is the point of doing this exercise if it has no directional responsibility down? If that is the case, why not just leave the chief executive to do the job?". So, what will be the role of the Minister? The answer, as far as the relevant Minister goes, was:

What the legislation facilitates is the freeing up of providers -

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