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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 2928 ..

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I can guarantee that processes will be in place, definitely, to ensure that salaried medical officers do perform the role that they are supposed to perform and that the ACT health system does get the services it is supposed to get under the agreement from those salaried medical officers. I think it is unfortunate to suggest that all salaried medical officers have not been performing appropriately. We have a lot of very good doctors in our system. I think the process that we put in place, to look at every single salaried medical officer individually and to get them to sign off on these profiles, will expose anybody who is not doing the right thing, Mr Speaker, and ensure that the ACT taxpayers are getting what they pay for. I can guarantee, Mr Corbell, that we will ensure that processes are in place to achieve that.

Housing for Aged People

MR HIRD: Mr Speaker, Mr Berry made history today - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! You will make it again if you do not ask your question.

MR HIRD: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Housing, Mr Stefaniak. Minister, yesterday on Radio 2CN at approximately 8.45 am I heard Ms Jan Armour being interviewed in relation to her appointment as the housing options adviser with the ACT Council on the Ageing. Can you tell the parliament what will be Ms Armour's role with COTA and what has been the community's response so far to her appointment?

Mr Whitecross: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. That is a blindingly interesting question, I have to say; but can you rule on whether appointments of people who work for COTA fit into the category of things within the responsibility of the Minister? I would have thought that an appointment of a staff member by a non-government organisation did not normally fit within the responsibilities of the Minister.

Mr Hird: On that point of order, Mr Speaker: The fact is that they are funded by the department and it comes under the Minister, if I might assist you, sir. Obviously, those people over there do not understand that.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Stefaniak, I will have to uphold Mr Whitecross's point of order in relation to the matter of COTA. However, you can answer the funding question and how it can affect you as the Minister.

MR STEFANIAK: Quite considerably, Mr Speaker, and it is also in the budget, if Mr Whitecross would like to have a look at that. We set aside $50,000 in the housing budget for this particular office position. It is totally funded by Housing, so I think that makes the question highly relevant. It certainly would not exist were it not for that. Have a look at our budget, Mr Whitecross, and you will see it there.

I thank Mr Hird for the question. Ms Jan Armour was recently appointed to this position, the housing options adviser, and she operates out of the Council on the Ageing.

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