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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 3706 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Mrs Carnell went to great lengths then to point out how her expenditure in mental health was up to scratch, but according to an article in the newsletter of the Canberra Schizophrenia Fellowship - I think it was by a Dr Drew - mental health spending in the ACT had improved to 71.5 per cent of the national average but overfunding of general hospital services was up to 134 per cent. Is it not a pity, Mr Speaker, that Mrs Carnell did not issue a little bit of that largesse to the mental health services area? I think that alone makes out the point that Mrs Carnell has failed to give sufficient priority to people who are the most disadvantaged in the community. I will get to some more issues in that respect later on.

The milestones along the way, Mr Speaker, are very obvious to even the most casual observer. There were the promises issued by Mrs Carnell during the election. Do you remember those promises? Do you remember the extra beds, Mr Speaker? Do you remember her savings, Mr Speaker, and the answers she offered so confidently? When we look at Mrs Carnell's performance in the management of the health portfolio all we come across is a litany of blunders along the way. There was a whole lot of deception from the outset.

The record of what Mrs Carnell has said and what she has done has led to this lack of confidence. It is a sign of frustration with this Health Minister. Indeed, from Labor's point of view, we are frustrated with her as the leader of the Government in the Territory for what she has done to this Territory. The impact of what she has done in Health alone will be with us in this Territory for years, for decades. Future generations are going to have to pay the price of the incompetence of this Health Minister. The only way that we can stop it happening is to get this Minister out of this portfolio and get in there somebody else who can put more of their energy and time into the issue of health. It is far too important to the community to have a Health Minister who is diverted from the issues of state so far as the economy and so on of the Territory are concerned.

No wonder, Mr Speaker, there is a lack of confidence that she has the knowledge, the ability or, indeed, the commitment to deliver what she has promised or what she says she will do. The experience thus far is that she does not. The lack of confidence that shows up in this place is also reflected in the community. Too often we have seen solutions offered which do not match the problem. Too often the solution has been a knee-jerk reaction - you have seen them all - tailored to get Mrs Carnell out of trouble rather than to get the health system out of trouble, or her Government out of trouble, or anybody else out of trouble. They have just been public relations exercises. Mr Speaker, it has not been concern for the health system which has driven this multimedia person essentially to perform in her own interests. Mr Speaker, there is no doubt that Mrs Carnell works hard and takes a lot of time with the media, but she has to take more time with her own portfolio. She has proved that she is not up to the job of dealing with the health portfolio.

Mr De Domenico: Is that what your press release says?

MR BERRY: All along the way the Territory has to pay for Mrs Carnell's incompetence.

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