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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2025 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

We were concerned to see what is happening in dental services, although we acknowledge that the Commonwealth cuts have made it difficult for the local government. It is, I suppose, a question of priorities. I would rather see the ACT Government spend money on the essential welfare and preventive health services than, say, spend $12m on upgrading Bruce Stadium at Belconnen. I think it is short-sighted. I think that, particularly in the area of dental hygiene, not ensuring that there is access to preventive dental care for all members of the community will cost more in the long term. Not only will it cost more in terms of the oral health of members of the community; but also, basically, it will cost more financially in the long run. In the discussion paper, I noticed that the Government admitted that people from disadvantaged backgrounds have significantly poorer oral health. I am not quite sure whether, by introducing user charges for adults, regardless of income, they would not just deepen this problem.

We are also concerned about the crisis and support services in the ACT. We are pursuing this at the moment, or we will be, in the Social Policy Committee, in our inquiry into services for children at risk. It is coming up quite often. I would like to see greater acknowledgment from the Government of this particular area of need, because it is quite clearly there. Hopefully, in the course of the inquiry, we will see action on this issue coming from the Government anyway.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Health and Community Care) (6.32): Mr Speaker, I am very proud of the approach that we have taken in health. I was very interested particularly in Mr Berry's comments. (Quorum formed) Mr Berry could not accept that there was anything good at all in this health budget. I was very pleased that the Greens and Mr Moore did accept that there were quite a number of very good initiatives. But, I suppose, for a Health Minister who managed to increase waiting lists from, I think, 1,647 in mid-1991 to 4,569 by early 1995 - I should say that it was early 1995 when we came to power, and I think Mr Connolly probably had a tiny bit to do with that as well - and a Health Minister who managed to blow out four out of four budgets, to suggest for a moment that we were not performing in health was a tiny bit rich, Mr Speaker. But some people, shall I say, have no pride. I have to say that Mr Berry could not have any, because he could not have stood up and said the things that he did if he had either any memory or any understanding of what he did to health. We understand now that my record will be one out of two budgets on track. That is not a bad effort, in ACT politics terms, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, in health, I believe that there have been a number of very important initiatives, which really have made a quite significant difference to people. We heard Ms Reilly talking about Jindalee Nursing Home, seeming to suggest that two of the 31 standards still not having been reached in 12 months was simply unacceptable, even though in my statement I indicated that Johnson Village Services believed that all 31 would be met in the very near future. Ms Reilly is part of a party that was in power for some five years and managed to get Jindalee to a stage of meeting only two out of 31 standards - not missing two, but meeting only two. It was also a nursing home that was, at one stage anyway, costing the ACT Government some $3m a year and was still not meeting required standards.

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