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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (13 May) . . Page.. 1282 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

It then gives a contact name and number. It is very clear. I will just quote again the relevant sections:

The ACT ... is now negotiating with Health Care of Australia to develop and operate the private hospital.

... ... ...

At this stage if you have any concerns or questions please contact ...

This will be of interest to the Chief Minister, given her answer to the last question. The letter, Mr Speaker, was written on 6 May and it stated that the Government was negotiating with Health Care of Australia and it requested that concerns or questions be raised with the Canberra Hospital. Clearly, there was no indication that the signing of a contract was imminent. The letter lets residents know that there is a proposal and that negotiations are under way, and invites input from those residents. How can you still deny, Chief Minister and Health Minister, that the decision to sign the contract was nothing more than a hasty move to avoid proper scrutiny by an Assembly committee? How can you still deny that after such a letter was distributed to the community?

Mr Humphries: What a pathetic question!

MRS CARNELL: It is a pity they do not rewrite their second question after they have an answer to their first question, Mr Speaker, but I suppose that would require a bit of thought.

Mr Berry: I seek leave to table the letter, which indicts the Chief Minister.

Leave granted.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am always pleased for the Opposition to table very good evidence of community consultation by this Government. Mr Berry indicated that the letter was written on 6 May. I understand that the contract that we are talking about was signed, I think, on 8 or 9 May. We are still negotiating with HCOA on a number of issues. Obviously, the plan has not yet been finally approved. It has not finally come through the approval system. There are lots of things we are still negotiating about. That is totally appropriate, Mr Speaker. It is also totally appropriate for us to speak to the local residents about such things as parking and traffic flow.

Mr Speaker, it is interesting that it was you who approached me to make sure we got that letter out to the people of Garran, and I am very pleased that we managed to do so. On behalf of your constituents, Mr Speaker, I was very happy to do that.

MR SPEAKER: It was a good letter.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I come back to the fact that we announced the successful tenderer in January. At that stage I said we would sign the contract to build in three months. That was the end of March, or maybe the beginning of April.

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