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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2999 ..

Mrs Carnell: Why did you give them 20 per cent more?

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell says that Labor gave them 20 per cent more. Mrs Carnell should read the books. She should look at who approved the extra beds.

Mrs Carnell: Terry Connolly.

MR BERRY: No; young Gary.

Mr Humphries: No. Terry Connolly then confirmed the decision.

MR BERRY: No; he had to license them because you had already approved them. So do not give us that nonsense. You have to put all the history before the house.

Mrs Carnell: Do you want me to quote Terry saying in the Assembly what a great decision it was?

MR BERRY: He made the decision. I am not disputing what Mr Connolly said. Do not come into this chamber and say that we did it when, in fact, the decision which could not be got out of was made by Gary Humphries. Mr Speaker, Mr Humphries announced the beds. He was the one who approved the beds, and once that decision was taken it could not be withdrawn from without compensation, and you know it. Mr Speaker, it was a Liberal decision.

Mrs Carnell: Mr Connolly got up and said it was a brave new world and it was great.

MR BERRY: Do not come in here with phoney information when trying to recreate history. This decision was made at the Eagle Hawk Hill Liberal love-in, as I said in my press release. You would not read out that part.

Mrs Carnell mischievously referred to statistics comparing us with other States, in trying to draw some conclusions. It does not draw any conclusions. It does not draw any conclusions at all because the fact of the matter is that people in the ACT do not want to use private hospital beds. They want a good quality public hospital system. That is where the waiting list for services is. They want a good quality public hospital system. They do not want to be squeezed into the private sector by artificial reduction of public hospital services, which is the plan of the Liberals. There is no question about that, because you cannot offer a business proposition here in the ACT for another private hospital unless you reduce public services. It is as clear as that.

Mrs Carnell seems to be suggesting that if a private hospital comes here everybody will get sicker; that there will be more sick people. It is outrageous. There will be the same number of people, and the only way that business will be interested in this is if they can get some sort of subsidy to do it. Private hospital services have to be looked after in this Territory, otherwise they will not establish themselves.

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