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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 174 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Berry pines for the old information in the old format. It is not collected in that format anymore. That is why we do not believe it is possible, at least not under the current formatting of the information, to provide the information in that way. What Mr Berry is really arguing in this place is that he wants different information to be provided. That is not a question of whether it is quarterly or monthly; that is a question of the nature of the information. Mr Speaker, even if Mr Berry's motion were passed, what Mrs Carnell, as Minister for Health, would provide would be the monthly activity for three months added together in a quarterly form. That would not meet Mr Berry's requirements, would it, because he wants different information.

With great respect, Mr Berry has misconceived his motion. If he wants to insist on this, he should go back and frame a motion which says, "I want this information in this form", blah, blah, blah, "that used to be in the old quarterly report". Then he could say, "That can be provided to the Assembly in either a quarterly form or a monthly form; it does not really matter what". Either way, it is going to be very expensive and difficult to collate, because it is not collected in that format anymore. Then Mr Berry will have what he wants. But if he thinks that simply by calling for quarterly activity reports he gets the information he had before in the old reports, he is quite wrong. That is not what he is getting. I would say to him that he should go back and think about what he actually wants.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care) (6.36): Mr Speaker, can I just add to that?

MR SPEAKER: Yes, Chief Minister.

MRS CARNELL: The one area of information that has not been in either of our hospital activity reports is the public health data, which I am very happy to provide monthly. I have no problems with that. No-one has actually ever shown a particular interest in the communicable diseases information. In fact, nobody has ever shown any interest in the data at all. But it is certainly, as I understand, available; and I am more than happy to make that available. Again, if there is anything that is now available in our new accounting system, like the communicable diseases information that Mr Berry wants, just ask; I am more than happy to make it available.

MR BERRY (6.37): Mrs Carnell was searching for ammunition in relation to this matter early in the piece. I accept her apology for saying that I had not collected Calvary Hospital figures, which of course I have and she has in the past. Now we come to the differences in information, and I am sure Mrs Carnell understands this. If you have a look at your last quarterly report, it talks about the appropriation for the Department of Health and Community Care. Look at the lines of information which are provided there. That sort of information is not provided in your financial management report to the Legislative Assembly. Indeed, what happens is that it is only one line, Health and Community Care. All of the information is not there.

Mrs Carnell: Because we do not collect it that way.

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