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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 3219 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

May I also put on record that Mrs Carnell went to great lengths to point out in the Canberra Times how this Assembly was going to be fixed up in this sitting with the best set of figures you have ever seen, the most information that has ever been put before this Assembly in the history of the place. They were introduced, of course, but they were exposed as being interim figures, not to be relied on, not worth two bob. Mrs Carnell's figures were like a two-bob watch. We cannot rely on them. What happened to the quarterly report to the end of June? There was no sign of it. There was no sign of the report to the end of June about the performance of our hospital system.

How outrageous for Mrs Carnell to hide those figures again! Again and again she hides those figures. We know that there are problems in the health system, and Mrs Carnell, in her claim of open government, was misleading the community. There is no question about that. We have a very clear situation where the Health Minister has misled the community on the provision of information in this place, because it has not turned up. She is keeping it from public scrutiny. Once these things hit the table, of course, the public become interested in the performance, or lack of it, of the health system. There is only one reason why she would be keeping them secret. We know what Mrs Carnell would do if they had any good news in them. There would be a press release as quick as a flash. They would roll out the cameras. We would get another dose of Carnell cuteness. Mr Speaker, there has been a lamentable lack of health figures and a corker of a press release.

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition) (6.45): Mr Speaker, I want to speak in the adjournment debate on the industrial dispute which the Government is having with unions in Works and Commercial Services because of the precipitate decision to transfer workers to Totalcare without any consultation. In the Industrial Relations Commission yesterday a decision was made which I think the members here will be interested in, given the discussion about this matter that has gone on in this place. The commission decided, pursuant to its powers for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes, to recommend as follows:

(i) that the parties to this dispute enter into immediate discussions in relation to the ACT Administration's intention to transfer certain functions from DUS to Totalcare Industries by 1 January 1997;

(ii) that the parties proceed on the basis of consultation provided for under the recently concluded enterprise bargaining agreements entered into between them -

which the Government temporarily forgot about -

(iii) that these discussions canvass and resolve the form and timetable of the consultation process;

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